BTDTL Volume 12: The Light Within
by AndrewK9000
Summary: It all comes down to this, the final part of Beyond the Door to Light. With Sora, Riku and Tess unable to use their Keyblades, it's up to their friends and allies to protect the Princesses of Heart, while Aiden has his own adventure in time and space.
1. Chapter 1: Right Where We Left Off

Greetings fellow readers and writers! This is the twelfth and final volume of my Beyond the Door to Light saga, not counting the prequel volume that I hope to start with the new year, and I hope you like it! Okay, this takes place immediately after the grand cliffhanger ending of volume 11, just when all hell broke lose for Sora and the others. This fic is going to bring it all to a head, and what and ending will it be!

Okay, aside from the usual Kingdom Hearts characters, there's still the gang from The Twilight Saga and His Dark Materials. But also in this story are characters from (and inspired by) My Little Pony, Ranma ½, Sailor Moon, Hannah Montana, all of which I've used before. Each world, MLP, Sailor Moon and Hannah Montana, each had it's own Princess of Heart. Now that the Last of the new seven have been revealed, we'll be going into the worlds of and meeting characters from Harry Potter and The Incredibles. Time wise, we'll be visiting the Harry Potter realm after the end of Deathly Hallows, while also visiting the world of The Incredibles about a year or so after the movie. If you think that a second Incredibles movie is long overdue, you have my full support.

Now I don't own any of the shows, animes, books or movies involved in this fic. All I own are the handful of original characters. Please don't sue me, I'm just trying to bring this awesome saga to it's rightful conclusion.

I also want to say thanks to all of you whom stuck with my stories since I started this project and will stick with it till the end. And also, to my former beta reader whom said that my stories are awful, well guess what, I'm almost through with my series, so say whatever you want about me, it doesn't matter, I'm happy with my stories and so are my readers.

And now, without further delay, please enjoy…

**Kingdom Hearts: Beyond the Door to Light**

**Volume 12: The Light Within**

**By Andrewk9000**

**Chapter 1: Right Where We Left Off**

**...Somewhere in Time and Space...**

"They're here!" shouted Hektor as he and Pete raced through a forest, "we're right on top of them!"

"'Bout time!" said Pete. "Reddik! Rakel! Where are you!"

They ran into a clearing where a large tent was set up. Tending a fire near the tent was the demon familiar Kichot.

"Pete!" said Kichot, "how…what…why?"

Just then Reddik and Rakel emerged from the tent, "Pete!" said Rakel.

"So you finally wised up and left," said Reddik as he smiled vindictively and crossed his arms, "you left behind Maleficent and her madness."

"I wish it were otherwise, noble ones," said Hektor.

Rakel then recognized Hektor, "I know you, you used to work for my father."

"As did many of my comrades, Ms. Rakel," said Hektor, "my colleague Pete here came a long way to find you and Sir Reddik."

"You twos gotta come back with us," said Pete, "back to the castle. Them other Hakonians need you."

"I beg your freaking problem?" Rakel asked irately.

"No!" snapped Reddik, "no way are Rakel and I going back to New Hollow Bastion! We left to get away from all that death and madness, so we won't be going back, thank you very much."

"But you have to return with us," said Hecktor, "we need you to lead us."

"No," Rakel said stubbornly, "we're not going back. And anyway, you've got your leaders already chosen. They're going to make Katarina and Nikolai marry."

"How's that going by the way?" Reddik asked.

"Not good," said Hecktor, "there's so much to explain, but it'll all make sense when you come back."

"Uh, I don't think so," said Rakel as she pulled out a pair of switchblades, while Reddik summoned a sphere of dark magic, "we've made ourselves very clear."

"We're not going back," said Reddik, "and if try to force us to go back, we'll make you regret it."

At that Pete gulped nervously, "oh boy, this ain't good."

"Damn right it's not good," said an irate Rakel, "how dare you even think of asking us to go back to that hell hole!"

"We nearly got killed working for Maleficent!" snapped Rakel, "that pale-eyed bitch brought out the worst of us. I nearly went completely insane with obsessive compulsiveness, and she made it so that Reddik had to suffer almost beyond his limits as he healed from the wounds that he got in The State. And don't get me started on what Maleficent put the others through."

"Well you should know that we Hakonians no longer serve as Maleficent's henchmen," said Hektor, "we've been replaced by demons."

"No way," said Reddik a shocked tone, "demons?"

"Anyone I know?" Kichot asked timidly, "my former master, Zabuchrion, not only was he a beastly brute, he also owed money to other demons."

"I didn't know demons had money," said Pete.

"Well we don't always deal in the darkness and villainy," said Kichot, "when off the clock, demons like to gamble. Zabuchrion was a notoriously bad gambler who always borrowed more money than he could pay back, assuming he could win at all."

"Umm, far as I knows," said Pete, "no demons came lookin' for Zabuchrion 'bout no gamblin' debts. But you guys still gotta come back with us."

"Uh, I thought we had a line of dialog established about this," said Reddik as he tossed his sphere of dark magic up in the air and caught it like it was a baseball, "we're not coming back, ever."

"Nothing you say or do can make us come back," said Rakel, "we're free Hakonians, probably the only free ones in our whole damn race."

"Which is why you must return with us," said Hektor, "for the sake of our people."

"The answer is no, dumbass!" snapped Reddik.

"But it is your destinies to lead us," said Hektor.

"Screw destiny!" snapped Rakel, "the others can curl up and die for all we care. They threw their lot in with Maleficent, just like Ulrik, Erika, Konrad, Nikolai and Katarina. The first three are dead and the other two are being forced to marry. And as foreveryone else, they made their bed with Maleficent, now they have to sleep in it!"

"That's just disgusting," said Hektor.

"Well excuse us for being wise enough to realize what a horrible mess our species has gotten itself into," said Reddik. "You can argue on how it's our destiny to come back and lead the Hakonian race to a new world where we can rebuild and reclaim our former glory. Well it's not going to happen!"

"The Hakonian empire is dead and gone," said Rakel, "and anyone who thinks it can be brought back is trapped in a hopeless past. What's done is done. So go back to the others and tell them if they want to save themselves, they have to do it themselves."

"I don't think them two are gonna come back with us," said Pete to Hektor.

"I always knew you had more sense in you that you let on, Pete," said Rakel, "you are right, we are not coming back with you."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Hektor in a voice that was heavy with reluctant determination, "I am sorry that you and Reddik will not return with us willingly," he then raised his hand and several Neo Shadows and Armored Knights appeared in front of him, "I am sorry, for I was ordered to bring you back!"

"I see that no longer being in Maleficent's favor hasn't diminished our people's power over The Heartless," said Reddik. He then waved his hand and several Heartless appeared in front of him and Rakel, "our talents haven't diminished either."

"If it's a fight you want, Hektor," said Rakel, "remember, I have The Evil Eye, and it works on Hakonians as well as humans, so attack us at your own discretion."

"I'm just here because I wanted to help find you two," said a nervously sweating Pete, "so I's just gonna sit this fight out."

"You stay right there, Pete!" said Hektor, "you're as much a part of this as I am."

"I don't understand you, Pete," said Reddik, "why are you so eager to bring Rakel and I back to that hell hole? I thought you would have jumped at the first chance to get away from Maleficent."

"I still do want to get away from her," said Pete, "but Hektor and the other Hakonians, I kinda owe them."

"You more than owe us," said Hektor, "we rescued you from prison on Radiant Garden, an act that could have gotten a lot of good Hakonians killed. And if that wasn't enough, we risked more of our people to get your family away from Maleficent."

"Your wife and children?" Rakel asked, "they're safe?"

"I hope so," said Pete, "last I saw they were okay."

"That's one good thing," said Rakel, "but it's not going to convince Reddik and I to go back with you."

"If I may offer a suggestion, Miss Rakel," said Kichot, "I do believe I have a means to rectify the situation."

"By all means," said Rakel.

Kichot walked right to the middle of the field between the two sets of Heartless and glared at Pete and Hektor, he then cleared his throat and spoke, "I just wish to express how horrible you two are being towards my mistress and her lover. It's wrong to force them to go back to fight your cause, and it is your cause. Miss Rakel and Mister Reddik are free and will remain free."

"You're one to talk," said Hektor, "being a demon slave and all."

"I am a familiar," said a highly offended Kichot, "not a slave. Miss Rakel and I have a mutual understanding. If I so wish I can seek employment elsewhere and Miss Rakel will have to let me go," he looked up at Rakel with adoring eyes, "but that won't happen. Miss Rakel has been the best mistress I have ever had, and I've had more mistresses and masters than I'd like to count."

"What's your point?" Pete asked.

"My point is…" said Kichot. He then looked horrified at something behind Hektor and Pete, "what the hell is that?"

"What?" exclaimed Hektor and Pete as they turned around. They saw nothing, only to turn around to see the opposing Heartless gone and a Dark Corridor opening, with Reddik, Rakel and Kichot running into it.

"Hey!" shouted Pete as the Dark Corridor closed up, "oh man! Now we have to chase after them again!"

"Stop whining and start chasing!" snapped Hektor as he summoned another Dark Corridor. "I still have their trail! They can run but not forever!"

"I don't know," said Pete to himself as they ran into the Dark Corridor, "maybe they do want to be alone."

* * *

><p><strong>…Twilight Town…<strong>

"I hate to be the one who admit sit," said Tess as she and Riku struggled to get up, "but it's official; we're screwed, big time!"

"Those two," said Riku, "Xorat and that copy of Kairi, they're pure evil."

"And we have to stop them somehow," said Hayner, "how, I don't know yet.":

"We'll think of something," said Sora, "we have to, not just for Kairi, Aiden, Lyra and Nessie, but for all our friends, for everyone." He then held out his hand to summon his Keyblade, but nothing happened.

"What?" Sora asked in confusion as he tried to summon his Keyblade again, but it still wouldn't materialize in his hand, "something's wrong! I can't summon my Keyblade!"

Riku and Tess held out their hands and tried to summon their Keyblades as well, but they wouldn't come.

"I can't summon mine either," said Riku, "it's like…like Kiraxi destroyed them, forever."

"I stand corrected," said Tess, "now we're officially screwed."

"How can you guys not be able to use your Keyblades?" Hayner asked.

"I don't know," said Sora in a distant tone, "I…I just can't."

"She did something to us," said Tess, "that evil Kairi, Kiraxi, and those black flames, they broke our Keyblades."

"It's over," said Riku in a distant tone, "we're no longer Keyblade Wielders. It's over."

"No it's not!" said Sora in a determined tone, "we're not finished, not until we save everyone and stop Maleficent, Gideon and Kira. We can't stop, we just can't!"

"Well, how are we going to do it, Sora?" Riku asked, "how can we fight the enemy, let alone The Heartless, without our Keyblades?"

"I don't know," said Sora, "but we just can't give up. We have to try, and we will try, next time."

"There may not be a next time," said Tess.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, "just because that thing that used to be Pantyhose Taro and that cheep copy of Kairi beat us, just because we can't use our Keyblades, doesn't mean we should give up."

"I know we shouldn't give up," said Tess, "but what I mean is that you're about to get killed, Sora, by Nessie's irate family and friends."

Just then the Cullens, Bella, Edward, Rosalie, Emmet, Alice and Jasper, all vampires, and Jacob Black, shape shifter and imprinted soul mate of Nessie, as well as the four wolves in his pack, walked into the area. All of them looked badly scorched by the black fire that Kiraxi insidiously employed.

"You might want to run, Sora," said Riku. But then a very irate Jacob advanced on Sora, "never mind, too late."

"Where's Nessie?" Jacob demanded, "Sora, what happened to Nessie?"

"She left with the enemy," said Edward, reading the thoughts of Sora, Riku, Tess, Donald, Goofy, Will, Kirjava, Hayner, Pence and Olette, "She and Lyra, they went with the villains."

"What?" exclaimed Bella. She ran up to Sora, "you let those horrible monsters take my daughter! Are you insane!"

"He's not insane," said Edward as he ran up to Bella and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder that also restrained her from smashing Sora's head in, "our daughter, she was the only one able to fight after those two abominations finished with Sora and the others. Rather than let her friends be hurt more, or worse, Renesmee surrendered to save them, and she convinced Lyra to surrender as well."

"That's still no excuse, Edward!" snapped Jacob, who looked twice as upset as Bella and Edward combined, "Sora and the others, they should have done something!"

"They couldn't have," said Edward, "first of all, if they kept fighting, they would have been killed."

"They wanted to kill us," said Riku, "they said that Maleficent and Gideon wanted all of us dead."

"Then why didn't they kill us?" Rosalie asked, "those two things had us on the ropes, but they walked past us like we weren't worth their time."

"They had their orders," said Tess, "they wanted Nessie and Lyra most of all. Killing us was a secondary priority. Nessie, she…she and Lyra sacrificed themselves to save us all."

"They gave us the time needed to heal and plan," said Riku.

"Then there's not a moment to waste," said Olette. She walked over to Bella, Edward and Jacob, "I hope my magic works on vampires."

"It will," said a smiling Alice.

"Good to know," said Olette as she raised her staff and cast Heal on the Jacob and Bella's parents. Within seconds the scorch marks were gone. She, Donald and Sora then healed the other vampires and wolves, while Riku and Tess shared healing items with the others, finishing with Will, healing his broken wrists.

"Okay," said Pence, "we're all feeling better. But that still doesn't help us with the real problem. Those two baddies nearly obliterated us."

"There's also the fact that Sora, Riku and Tess lost their Keyblades," said Edward.

"What?" Jacob asked, "how? Why?"

"Kiraxi used those dark flames of hers," said Riku, "they completely shattered our Keyblades. And now we can't summon them back."

"And I feel just awful about it," said Tess, a distraught look on her face, "seriously, I feel horrible," she sat down, "I feel like a part of me has been ripped away."

"Me too," said Riku, "like that part was from our hearts. I never realized how much I cared about having a Keyblade, not until I lost it."

"I feel like I want to die," said Tess, "being a Keyblade Wielder changed me. I used to be a murdering psychopath. Being a Keyblade Wielder made me a better person, and now it's gone and I'm left with nothing."

"It'd be better if those two monsters killed us," said Riku

"But they didn't," said Sora, "we can still come up with a way to beat them, all we have to do is figure it out."

"How, Sora?" Riku snapped, "How can we beat them without Keyblades if we couldn't beat them with Keyblades? How?"

"Just kill me now," moaned Tess.

"Stop it, both of you!" snapped Roxas, "it's not the end of the world!"

"How would you know?" Riku asked, "you still have your Keyblade. Oh, I forgot, you've got two!"

"Don't yell at him," said Naminé, "it's not his fault you guys got your asses kicked."

"Well he should have tried harder!" snapped Riku.

"This has to stop, now!" said Edward forcefully, "Riku, Tess, and you too, Sora, you need to sit down and listen to me right here and now."

"But…" said Sora.

"Don't argue with me," said Edward, "now sit down and listen to me, or else."

"Or else what?" Tess asked.

"Or I'll make you sit down," said Edward, "and you won't be able to stand up for a while afterwards."

"Better not argue with my husband," said Bella, "And if he doesn't make you sit down, then I will."

Not wanting to know who the two vampires would make them sit down, Sora, Riku and Tess willingly sat down.

"Now," said Edward, "it's clear that the three of you are suffering from the beginnings of psychological trauma."

"What do you mean?" Tess asked.

"You were just defeated by a terrible enemy," said Edward, "whom had the face of someone you loved and trusted, and this villainess destroyed your Keyblades, which are clearly a part of yourselves. We need to get to the bottom of this problem and confront and resolve it before too much time passes, for the longer a psychological trauma goes untreated, the worse for the patient."

"How do you know all of this?" Riku asked.

"I'm over a century old," said Edward, "I've had more than enough time to learn."

'But where are your credentials?" Will asked, "Nessie never said that you were a psychologist."

"Edward's a man of many talents," said Alice, "he'll figure out what's wrong with them."

"What's there to figure out?" Pence asked, "we got our butts kicked by that Nobody and that fake Kairi. They took Nessie and Lyra and broke Sora's, Riku's and Tess's Keyblades."

"And they still have the real Kairi, and Aiden," said Riku.

"Then we'll rescue them all," said Sora, "come on, guys, we're only beaten if we give up, and no way am I ever giving up, not until all our friends are safe and the enemy finished for good."

"None of us have given up, Sora," said Jasper, "but we're in no position right now to enact a rescue mission, not without a means to defeat those two horrible things that so easily trounced us."

"And you three," said Rosalie as she pointed at Sora, Riku and Tess, "are in no condition to be heroes."

"He's right," said Riku, "Sora, we can't save Kairi and the others, not like this."

"I still feel really down," said Tess, "but I'm willing to try and get through this, impossible as it seems."

"At least you're not suicidal any more," said Bella, "that's progress."

"We also need to figure out how to defeat Xorat and Kiraxi," said Olette, "We have to find a weakness in those two."

"I didn't see a weakness in them," said Hayner. "come to think of it, I barely saw much of them, they were so fast."

"We saw everything they did when they fought us," said Edward, while the other vampires nodded in agreement, "give us some time, and we'll find a weakness in them."

Just then Ansem and Young Watari walked up to our heroes and allies. "I believe I may have the material needed to determine said weaknesses," said Ansem.

"Where were you two while my daughter sacrificed herself!" Bella snapped.

"And our friends lost their powers," said Jacob.

"Wait a second," said Tess as she suddenly had a thought. She then went invisible, then reappeared, "I still have that power."

Riku then cast his Dark Shield, "and I have that power too."

Sora then finished casting Fire, Thunder and Blizzard at an empty patch of ground, "and I still have my magic. But why can't we summon our Keyblades?"

"You've lost your Keyblades?" Ansem asked, "this is serious."

"Indeed," said Young Watari, "as to your question, Mrs. Cullen, my colleague and I were keeping ourselves out of harms way. Believe me, Mrs. Cullen, and you, Jacob Black, when I say that if I had the power to do so, I would have fought to protect your daughter and assist Sora and the others. But I don't have any physical abilities that would have helped. All I have is my intellect."

"As do I," said Ansem, "while I lack powers such as you and your fellow vampires have, as well as Sora and everyone else, I have my mind, and I used it to the best as I could in the situation."

"So all you did was sit and think while we all got our asses kicked?" Tess asked.

"You're right," said Pence, "we're totally screwed."

"Not yet you are," said Ansem, "yes, I did sit on the sideline and watched as you brave, outstanding individuals fought with everything you had against an overwhelming foe. I watched, and observed."

"And I recorded," said Young Watari as he indicated his glasses, "these happen to have the smallest and most powerful high definition camera in existence built in, as well as a wireless transmitter. As we speak the data recorded is being compiled in the computer system inside the Old Mansion."

"But I smashed that computer," said Roxas.

"Why'd you do that?" Alice asked.

"He had his summer vacation ruined," said Naminé.

"That's a good reason," said Emmet.

"Well I fixed that computer system," said Young Watari, "while you were all searching for the keys to the vault, I was working on repairing the computer, as well as stabilizing the portal to the realm of darkness. We can go into the darkness whenever we wish, but the darkness can't come into the light."

"So we can use the portal," said Sora, "but the enemy can't follow us back. What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Roxas asked, "you don't have a Keyblade."

"So I'll borrow one of yours," said Sora, "you've got two. I'm not letting those creeps have their way with Kairi and the others. Let's go!"

Just then King Mickey jumped into the area, "we can't go yet, Sora! We're not ready!"

"Oh, right," said Sora, "we need to plan."

"We need a lot more than a plan," said Riku

"I know what happened, Sora," said The King, "and I know you and the others are feeling really down that you guys were beaten and lost your Keyblades, and that your friends were taken. But you need to keep a cool head and a focused mind."

"What about the heart?" Sora asked.

"That you keep burning," said King Mickey, "that's what keeps you going when all things seem hopeless."

"But how does that help us?" Pence asked, "how does that help save our friends?"

"And get our Keyblades back," said Tess.

"And rescue the other princesses of Heart," said Riku, "if they've got Nessie and Lyra, it's only a matter of time before they go after the others."

"Not if we get to them first," said Sora, "guys, we have to warn Sara, Usagi and Miley."

"But there's two more," said Tess, "Aiden's always going on about how he's got all seven's faces in his mind, but he won't know them until he meets them in the flesh. If the enemy cracked into Aiden's mind, then they know who the last two princesses are and we don't."

"Oh," said Sora in a deflated tone, "what do we do about them?"

"I'm sorry, Sora," said King Mickey, "but it looks like we can't do anything about them. We have no idea who they are or where to even start looking for them."

"So we should just let the baddies get them?" Olette asked, "just sit back and let two innocent girls get kidnapped?"

"Can you think of anything that'll help us find them?" Will asked, "I'm sorry if I sound cruel, but for now we should focus on what we know, and that's the other princesses."

"We need to warn the ones we know about," said Riku, "Someone has to go and tell them of the horrors coming."

"Well you're not going at all," said Edward, "not you, Tess or Sora. You three are staying right here until we solve your problem," he looked at Bella, the other vampires, Jacob, the wolves, Ansem and Young Watari, "in the meantime we need to devise a strategy to defeat those two maniacs, as well as rescue those in need of rescuing."

"I call focusing on killing those two maniacs," said Emmet.

"We did manage to hurt those two creeps," said Sora to The King, "not much, but we did hurt them."

"If they can be hurt, they can be destroyed," said Ansem.

"And if we can beat them," said Roxas, "we can beat the other villains and rescue everyone."

"That's the spirit!" said The King. He then took out from his pocket the Star Shard charm, "this will allow us to warn the princesses we know about. I talked with Master Yen Sid and he said that I could borrow this."

"Didn't you once tell us that that thing sent you on a wild ride across the worlds?" Hayner asked.

"That was a long time ago," said King Mickey, "I know what I'm doing this time."

"Shouldn't someone go to warn Sara, Usagi and Miley?" Riku asked, "besides just sending a message? Someone needs to protect them."

"I agree," said Edward, "Someone should go and warn them."

"But who?" Tess asked.

"And they should be people the princesses know," said Riku.

"I'll go warn Usagi," said Naminé, "she and her friends know me."

"I'm going with you," said Roxas, "not only will Usagi and the other Sailor Senshi recognize me, but I can also protect her from those two maniacs."

"But who could go war Sara?" Riku, "and Miley.

"We'll go help Sara," said Donald, "she knows us for sure."

"You got it!" said Goofy, "we'll keep her safe from those two loony-ticks, you betcha!"

"That still leaves Miley," said Riky.

"You're forgetting about us," said Hayner, while Pence and Olette nodded.

"You don't know about Miley," said Riku, "you don't know the big secret."

"What big secret?" Olette asked.

"That Miley Stewart is Hannah Montana," said Edward.

"Who's Hannah Montana?" Pence asked.

"You're going to find out," said Riku. "But since Miley doesn't know you, you'll need something with you so she'll know you're from us."

"A letter with your signature would help," said Edward.

"Or a video of you saying that these guys can be trusted," said Bella.

"I know where we can get a video camera," said Olette, "it should be in The Usual Spot, I'll go get it." With that she ran back to town.

"So we've got the basics of the warning/protecting teams," said Riku, "but who else will go?"

"You've got me," said Jacob, "and my pack wants another crack at those two maniacs as well." At that Quill, Embry, Seth and Leah all nodded in agreement.

"And don't forget us immortals," said Rosalie, while Emmet, Jasper, Alice, Bella and Edward nodded in agreement,

"Not all of us are needed to plan a counterattack," said Will.

"Just give us a chance and we'll show those two monsters just who they're dealing with," said Kirjava.

"This is going to take some time to figure out," said Young Watari. "how do we decide who goes and who stays?"

"I'll decide," said Edward, "I for one need to stay to help, Sora, Riku and Tess, but for the others, I won't make my decisions based on personal feelings. It'll be based on the individual strengths and weaknesses of everyone here," he closed his eyes in thought, and after a few seconds had his answer.

"Will, Kirjava, Quill, Embry and Alice, you go with Roxas and Naminé to warn Usagi Tsukino. Rosalie and Emmet will go with Hayner, Pence and Olette to warn Miley Stewart. Jacob, Seth, Leah and Jasper, you'll go with Donald and Goofy and to warn Sara Lancaster."

"We should make a video for Sara as well," said Sora, "she and her friends don't know Jacob and the others."

"But that Ranma guy went with Sara back to her world," said Tess.

"That's right!" said Sora, "Ranma! If anyone can find a way to beat Xorat and that Kiraxi, it's Ranma."

"Who's Ranma?" Rosalie asked.

"And is he single? just kidding!" laughed Alice.

"He's a very talented martial artist who suffered far more than any human being should have," said Edward, "and he is cursed so that cold water turns him into a girl."

"No way," said Emmet, "that's impossible. Curses aren't real, especially one that turns boys into girls."

"Sure, curses aren't real," said Bella, "just like vampires and shape shifters, demon, heartless and magic aren't real."

"Right," said Emmet.

"Now I know I want to meat this Ranma," said Alice. She looked at Jasper, "switch?"

"So long as you keep your hands to yourself when dealing with the interesting martial artist whom is living under a curse," said Jasper.

"Deal," said Alice as she and Jasper shook hands.

"Why didn't you pick me to go with someone?" Bella asked, "and don't say it's because I'll get too emotional when I see those two monsters who took our daughter. And while you're at it, don't say that you're afraid that I won't come back. And why didn't you sort yourself into a group?"

"Because someone has to stay and plan the counterattack," said Edward, "and I can't lie to you, Bella. I did leave you out because you would get too emotional when the fighting begins and that I fear that you would fail to return. I love you too much to put you at risk like that. Even immortal, you're still venerable."

"Well I'm still going," said Bella, "I'm not going to just wait here while everyone else does goes and do something about this. I want to help."

"I'm sorry, Bella, but you're not," said Edward.

"Oh yes I am," said Bella, "Edward, please, let me help."

"It would definitely help, having another blood sucker along," said Jacob, "especially one with Bella's talents."

"I'm not that special," said Bella, "but I'll do what I can."

"Very well, you convinced me," said Edward. He decided after only two seconds, but Sora guessed, and guessed correctly, that Edward's immortal mind was working feverishly to come up with a reason for Bella to stay, but couldn't think of a viable one.

"You can go," said Edward, "but only if you swear, _swear_, that you won't take any unnecessary chances. If the situation calls for you to run, you run."

"If things get that bad I won't even be there anymore," said Bella, "alright, Edward, if it will satisfy you, I swear that I'll play it safe and keep my cool."

"But which team is she going with?" Olette asked.

"One moment," said Edward, "I'll rearrange the groupings," he paused in thought for half a second, "now, this is how it will be; Instead of Quill and Embry, Jasper shall join Alice, Will, Kirjava, Roxas and Naminé. Rosalie and Emmet will still go with Hayner, Pence and Olette. Bella shall go with Donald, Goofy, Jacob and all of his pack. Is this satisfactory for everyone?"

"I have no complaints," said Will, while the others nodded in agreement.

Olette then ran back into the area with a digital camcorder and a tripod and some portable video players, "let's roll film!" she said.

"So, how do you want to this?" Sora asked.

"I think one of us should make the video for Sara," said Riku, "The other for Usagi, and we should do one together for Miley, just to be safe."

"What about me?" Tess asked, "shouldn't I be involved somehow?"

"You weren't there when we met Usagi and Miley," said Riku.

"But you did meet Sara that one time," said Sora, "yeah, you can be in the video for her."

"Just give me one second to get ready," said Olette as she set her camera on a tripod, loaded a disk into it and checked the lighting.

"What are we going to say to them?" Sora asked.

"The truth," said Riku, "that they're in horrible danger and we can't be there to help."

Right," said Sora. After a few minutes Olette was ready.

Sora went first, "Usagi, it's me, Sora. I was kinda out of it while my friends and I were on your world, but we all fought against Kurayami, that Diamond/Heartless hybrid thing. Anyway, things are really crazy for me right now, so I can't come and help.

"What I can do is warn you and your friends. Maleficent and the others know that you're a Princess of Heart and are sending two really bad baddies after you. One of them looks just like Kairi, but it's not Kairi, trust me on this.

"A few friends of mine are here to help you and the other Sailor Senshi. You already know Roxas and Naminé, and they can vouch for the others, but even with their help, things could get really crazy for you. These villains are seriously tough and won't hold back, so be careful, you and your friends.

"Well, that's about it. Good luck and hopefully we'll see each other soon."

"And…cut!" said Olette, "I'll upload it to the video player."

"Is that what you're really going to say to Usagi?" Riku asked.

"Well, she's Usagi," said Sora in a matter of fact tone, "she's not the brightest star in the sky, so…"

"Say no more," said Riku, "I get it, she's a dingbat with a heart of gold. Okay, my turn."

"One minute," said Olette as she set up the camera again, "ready, and…action!"

"Miley," said Riku, "I'm sorry that I couldn't be here to tell you in person, but the worst has happened. The enemy knows the identities of all seven princesses of heart and they're making their move. They're sending two completely insane and diabolical villains after you. One of them resembles Kairi in almost every physical detail, except she's pure evil and will tear your friends and loved ones apart to get to you.

"I'd be there to help you myself, but I can't. I…I simply can't. But I'll be with you in heart. I can't promise that everything will absolutely be alright, but so long as you remain true to your heart and believe in yourself and your friends, then things might just turn out alright.

"Hope you, Jake, Jackson, Lilly, Oliver, your father and everyone else are alright, and hope that we meet under more pleasant circumstances. Oh, before I forget, how's that movie you and Jake are planning?" he smiled brightly, "Because I could totally go see you in a remake of Xanadu."

"And…cut!" said Olette, "great shot."

"And now it's my turn," said Tess, "but what do I say?"

"Exactly what I said," said Riku, "and what Sora said, the truth."

"But we should be in it too," said Sora, "just to be safe."

"Right," said Tess, "Thanks."

"Almost ready," said Olette. She then got Sora, Riku and Tess into focus, "okay, and…action!"

"Hi, Sara," said Sora, "it's us, me and Riku."

"And I'm Tess, we met that one time."

"We'd be there to tell you in person," said Riku, "you, Ranma and the others, but something terrible has happened to us."

"Maleficent knows that you're a Princess of Heart," said Sora, "and she's sending these really horrible villains after you."

"They're really strong," said Tess, "and completely insane. Oh, and one of them looks just like Kairi, but it's not her, believe us, this is not the real Kairi."

"The guys who delivered this tape," said Sora, "you can trust them. Donald and Goofy can vouch for them."

"We really want to be there to help keep you safe," said Riku, "but we just can't. Donald and Goofy can explain."

"We will?" Goofy asked.

"Of course we will!" said Donald.

"Anyway," said Sora, "I hope we'll all see each other soon when things are better."

"Oh, Ranma!" said Tess, "the other villain, it's that guy who turned into a monster, that Taro guy, only he's called Xorat now, and he's way too strong, so be careful. Right, that's all I've got to say about that."

"And…cut!" said Olette, "awesome."

"You really think so?" Tess asked.

"No, it was awful," said Olette, "but you did pretty well considering it was your first time."

"What about us?" Riku asked.

"How bad were we?" Sora asked.

"Pretty bad," said Olette as she uploaded the last video to the portable player, "but you said what you wanted to say. How you said it could have been better, but I doubt there's time for reshoots."

She gave one player to Bella, the other to Roxas and kept the last one.

"I think we're ready to go then," said Hayner.

"As ready as we'll ever be," said Pence.

"Before you leave," said The King, "I have something to contribute," he then pulled out three green crystals, each the size of a small notebook, "these will allow you to let us know what's going on. You have to use a pen or a pencil to write the message onto the crystal, but they're enchanted so that the enemy can't eavesdrop on what you write."

"And to shout out for help if we need it," said Will as he took one crystal, while Hayner took the second and Donald took the third.

"I doubt that anything we can do right now can stop those maniacs," said Pence.

"Don't say that," said Alice, "we won't know until we try, and we're going to try, I've seen it."

"Have you seen the outcomes of those attempts?" Roxas asked.

"Not yet," said Alice, "but then, the future always changes when someone changes their mind, so things are pretty much anyone's ballgame right now."

"Lucky us," muttered Donald.

The King then raised the Star Shard, "Alakazam!" the charm then glowed brightly and shot three beams of magic that created three portals, "the one on the left goes to Dream Valley, the middle goes to the other Tokyo, and the one on the right goes beach in Malibu. Also, as soon as you're ready to come back, a portal will open for you."

"Then there's nothing more to say," said Edward, "except good luck, to everyone."

"Wait," said Rosalie, "Alice, have you any visions about what's to come?"

"None yet," said Alice, "for some reason, even though we've just made a major decision, I see nothing."

That caused everyone to pause in shock, but Alice laughed it off, "so what? It's not the end of the universe."

"Sometimes no news is good news," said Jasper.

And with that, after a large round of well wishes and good luck, they went through the portals; Bella, Jacob, Leah, Seth, Quill, Embry, Donald and Goofy, went through the portal to Dream Valley; Jasper, Alice, Will, Kirjava, Roxas and Naminé went through the one to the other Tokyo; Emmet, Roaslie, Hayner, Pence and Olette to the one to Malibu.

Once everyone was through the portals, they closed up.

"And that's that," said Edward. He then looked at Sora, Riku and Tess, "now I do believe we have some issues to work out."

"It'd be better if we talked inside," said Young Watari.

"More than you realize," said Young Watari. He then pulled out his PDA and used it to deactivate the force field around the Old Mansion, "I think you'll like what I've done to improve the place."

"And I have a few calls to make myself," said King Mickey, "I need to call Leon and the others on Radiant Garden, I need to call Minnie and tell her I'm alright, and I also have a few favors to call in."

"The computer room can connect you to just about any phone in the realms," said Young Watari."

"Well hot dog!" said King Mickey, "things might just work out after all."

"I wish I had your confidence, your majesty," said Riku as they went inside.

* * *

><p><strong>…New Hollow Bastion…<strong>

"It's official," said The Negotiator as he checked a message on his PDA, "Aiden Mackenzie has vanished, and The Scanner is missing as well."

"Then what are you waiting for, you impudent imbecile!" snapped Maleficent, "sent someone after them!"

"Why bother?" Gideon asked, "wherever they've gone, I'm sure that my bony friend has the brat neatly in hand."

"Don't underestimate Aiden!" snapped Kairi, "he'll smash that horrible demon into dust!"

"I think you should be more worried about yourself, dear Kairi," said Gideon, "you're death clock is ticking. In a few days all your energy will have gone into Kiraxi. She will be supreme and you will be a withered husk of a girl."

"If you think that's gonna make me give up, think again!" said Kairi, "I know that Sora and the others are still alive, and they're going to find a way to kill that cheep copy, and that Nobody monster."

"You are delusional," said Maleficent, "even half a dozen vampires couldn't stand up to my perfected Nobody, and your better half. I must say that Kiraxi is a great improvement on the original."

"Just give me the chance and I'll end you for good!" snapped Kairi, "I know how many lives you've got left. Just let me lose and I'll destroy all three of them!"

"Not likely," said Maleficent, "assuming this ritual involving the new princesses of heart is legitimate, and Gideon's god, Kira, proves himself to be the dark god he's rumored to be, then I shall never have to worry about my own lives ever again."

"You think that Kira is a dark god," said Kairi, "I know otherwise. He's just an overly smart kid who thinks himself a god of justice."

"Don't even try to shake my faith in Lord Kira," said Gideon, "Kira will usher in a new age of darkness that will cover all of existence in eternal night!"

"Now you're just spouting overkill," said Kairi.

"Laugh all you want, you and your friends are still doomed," said Maleficent, "as soon as Kiraxi and Xorat have recovered from their minor wounds, they will set out to capture the five remaining princesses of heart. Then all will be as it should, in the darkness!"

Just then The Negotiator walked in, "Mr. Graves, there's been some startling new developments concerning The Keyblade Wielders," he then showed something on his PDA to Gideon, whom then smiled viciously.

"Oh, this is perfect," said Gideon, "this is absolutely perfect."

"What is so perfect?" Maleficent asked.

"It's a surprise," said Gideon, "one that'll wait until Kiriaxi's finished with her healing; it concerns her as well." He then looked at Kairi, "and it's news that you're going to absolutely love."

"I doubt it," said Kairi.

* * *

><p>"Well," said Nessie after she, Lyra and Pan were thrown into a large cell in the dungeon and the force field was activated after them, "this sucks."<p>

"I can think of worse things to say," said Lyra as she hobbled over to one of seven cots set up in the oversized cell, while Pan sat beside her.

"At least they have a decent bathroom for us," said Nessie as she looked at a partitioned area in the far corner of the cell, "even has a shower," she walked back to Lyra, "how's your ankle?"

"It bloody hurts," said Lyra as she took her shoe off and looked at her ankle, which was swollen to an angry purple, "you'd think they'd let me have a healing item or two." She then reached into her pocket and took out the Alethiometer, "at least they're dumb enough not to search our pockets when we got here."

"I think I may be able to help that ankle," said Nessie as she walked around the force field of the cell, sniffing the air as if looking for the source of the barrier. She then sat next to Lyra, "I've never actually cast a healing spell before but I've seen them in action, and I never forget anything."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Pan asked.

"Not completely," said Nessie, "but that's never stopped me before. Now hold still," she closed her eyes in concentration and held her hands above Lyra's ankle and a white healing light shone onto the wound. Within seconds the swelling had gone down and the color returned to normal.

Nessie sat back and sighed with relief after the spell was cast, "wow, that took more out of me than I thought."

"I think you did a fantastic job for your first bit of healing magic," said Lyra as she stood up and carefully put weight on her ankle. She winced slightly, "it's still sore, but manageable."

"You're welcome," said a smiling Nessie. She then sighed again, "but why did I get so tired just now?" She then got up and walked over to the force field again, "and more importantly, how do we get out of here?" she reached into her pocket and pulled out a penny, "I picked this up the day Gideon's goons abducted me. I thought it would bring me luck. So much for that superstition," she tossed the penny at the force field. The penny was vaporized upon impact with the barrier.

"I wager that if I tried to get through that," said Nessie, "I'd be in the hospital for a very, very long time."

"So what do we do now?" Lyra asked.

Nessie walked over to one of the empty cots and sat down, "not a whole lot right now. But I know that Sora, Jacob, my family and everyone else, including your Will, they're all working on how to get us out of this mess, and I don't need to see the future to know that they're going to do it. It's just a matter of time."

"I hope they come soon," said Lyra after looking up from the Alethiometer, "because in a short wile, we're going to have company in this cell."

"You mean," said Nessie, "the other princesses, they're gonna be caught, like we were."

"Not like us," said Lyra, "you talked me into giving up, remember?"

"I know what I meant," said Nessie, "and we had to give up, or else the others would have been killed for sure," she sighed, "I can't believe how strong those two jerks were. They busted through everything Sora and threw at them and our friends still got beaten to a pulp."

"If anyone can figure out how to defeat those two monsters," said Lyra, "it's our friends."

"What are they doing now?" Nessie asked, "what are Jacob, my family, Sora and the others doing? No, don't tell me, the enemy might be able to read our minds."

"It won't matter," said Lyra after checking the Alethiometer, "I can't get a clear answer on what our friends are doing. This whole castle must be full of Uridium items. They're all interfering with the Alethiometer."

Just then Nessie looked like she had a horrible thought, "maybe that's not all the Uridium items are doing."

* * *

><p>"An ingenious idea, Mr. Graves," said The Negotiator, "creating an Uridium item that saps the powers of the princesses."<p>

"I figured that just a force field alone wasn't enough to keep them from escaping," said Gideon, "that half vampire reject slipped through my fingers enough, this time I'm not taking any chances. It'll take a full-blooded vampire with twice Renesme's strength to bust out of that cell."

"And at the same time," said Maleficent, "the other princesses will be deprived of their abilities as well. They will be completely helpless."

"And will remain powerless, until we're ready for them," said Gideon, "when the time comes, we'll use their powers to summon Lord Kira." He looked at Kairi, who for the last few minutes had been silent, "oh, nothing to say now? You had so much to talk about. No snappy remarks? Or are you all out of material."

"I've got plenty to say," said Kairi as she glared angrily at Gideon, "but right now I'm trying to see if I have the power to burn a home into your head with my mind. I guess I don't, but I can still hate you.""

"Just sit tight and let your life force drain dry," said Gideon. "Or maybe I could just leave you with just enough energy to stay alive, then I'll burn a hole into your head, with a laser torch, just because I've never killed anyone that way."

Just then Kiraxi and Xorat walked in, "we are fully restored and ready to capture the next princess, great ones!" said Xorat.

"Just pick out which one you want," said Kiraxi, "and we'll go get the waif."

"One moment, babe," said Gideon, "I've got good news for you."

"Good news?" Kiraxi asked in a confused tone.

"Tell her," said Gideon to The Negotiator.

"It would appear, Ms. Kiraxi," said the pinstriped demon, "That in your battle with Sora, Riku and Tess, when you apparently destroyed their Keyblades..."

"I know what I did," said Kiraxi, "I know I destroyed them, and I'd do it again."

"You're not the brightest of biots," said Kairi, "I'm ashamed that you ever came from me."

"And I'm ashamed that I was cultivated from such a pathetic little girl," said Kiraxi."

"Well you're just as pathetic," said Kairi, "and dumb! Keyblades can't be destroyed. They're a part of the wielder, like a living extension of their heart."

"Well it seems that Sora's heart was broken," said Gideon, "because he hasn't been able to summon his Keyblade since the battle."

"What?" Kairi asked in a shocked tone.

"That's right," said Gideon, "and Riku and Tess haven't been able to summon their Keyblades either."

"I broke your friends," said Kiraxi. "They won't be as much fun to play with, but I'll play with them one more time, the last time, to destroy them."

"Never!" snapped Kairi, "Sora, Riku and Tess will get their Keyblades back, and then they'll come after you to finish you off!"

"Not this year," said Kiraxi, "let them try and fight me. I'll deal with them in due time. But first my Nobody of a comrade and I have a waif to kidnap."

"Indeed," said Maleficent as she looked at the images of the Princesses of Heart. She raised her staff and the images of Lyra and Nessie were marked with red X's. She then looked at the other princesses; Sara, Usagi, Miley, and the last two that were recently identified; Violet Parr and Victorie Weasley.

Maleficent then focused on the image of Violet, "that one, the waif who thinks herself a hero." She looked at Xorat and Kiraxi, "go and retrieve that girl. Bring her here alive and unharmed."

"And if anyone gets in your way," said Gideon, "smash them into a pulp."

"We obey!" said both Kiraxi and Xorat. They then opened a Dark Corridor and walked through it.

"And now we sit back and watch the fireworks," said Gideon.

* * *

><p><strong>...Somewhere in Existance...<strong>

Aiden fell through time and space for only the gods knew how long. The last coherent thing he remembered was being attacked by The Scanner, the vile demon who tortured the identities of the princesses of heart out of his mind. When the creature attacked him again, Aiden created a Grand Arcadium circle on instinct, dragging him and The Scanner to The Gate of Truth, the source of all Alchemic power. The demon's greed caused him to open the doorway to exploit the knowledge. Instead the shadowy creatures on the other side of the gate dragged the demon into their world, while Aiden heard from the same mysterious voice who sent him on the path of a Keyblade Wielder to begin with. The voice said that Aiden had to find The Doctor and ask him a question, but Aiden had to figure out the question himself.

Aiden then tried to get back to the real world via a Grand Arcadium transmutation circle. But instead he would up falling in a maelstrom where all of time and space could be accessed. Aiden caught glimpses of events that were, are and yet to be, yet he could not touch them. So here Aiden was, falling through space and time with no idea which way was up.

But then he blacked out. Then he slowly regained his senses, finding himself in a large room with brightly colored walls.

Then he head the sound of three sets of approaching footsteps, but he was too disoriented to do anything but try and sit up. Through his mist-clouded eyes, Aiden could discern two men and one woman. The girl appeared to be in her mid to late 20's with shoulder-length red hair and wearing an indigo top and black pants and booths with a black jacket and a long red scarf. The first man had short brown hair and wore a red shirt with a black sleeveless coat and blue jeans and boots.

The second man had slightly longer brown hair, wore an off white shirt with a bowtie and a brown jacket with black paths held up with suspenders and brown boots. "Well now," he said in a British accent, "just where did you come from, young man?"

"Is he alright, Doctor?" the first man asked. He bend down to Aiden and checked his vitals, "he's doesn't seem to be hurt, but he's definitely been through some sort of trouble."

"But how did he get here?" the woman asked, "it's not like he just walked into The TARDIS, not while we're traveling," she looked at the man with the bowtie, "could he have?"

"Not likely," said the man with the bowtie as he took out some sort of device that looked, to Aiden's still disoriented eyes, like an oversized metal pen with a glowing green tip, and used it to scan Aiden, "more likely he fell in."

"What do you mean, fell in?" the first man asked.

"I mean, Rory Pond," said the man with the bowtie, "is that our young friend here is the victim of some wicked Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey stuff."

"And what does that mean?" the woman with red hair asked, "and could you just this once explain it so that us earthlings could understand."

"I thought I was explaining it simply, Amy Pond," said the man with the bowtie.

Aiden then tried to get up, but the first man, Rory, held him down, "you've been severely traumatized. I wouldn't move if I were you."

"You're not me," Aiden mumbled. He then sat up and looked at the man with the bowtie, "he called you Doctor. Are…are you The Doctor? Last of the Time Lords?"

"In the flesh," said the man with the bowtie, The Doctor, "and you are?"

"Aiden Mackenzie, and I need your help," said Aiden, before passing out.

"He's alright," said Rory, "just exhausted.

"He said he needed your help, Doctor," said the woman, Amy, "but what does he really want?"

"We won't know until he wakes up," said The Doctor, "but to answer your earlier question, Pond, in simple terms, we've picked up a hitchhiker."

"Oh great," said Rory, "now we're picking up strays."

**The end of chapter 1.**

Next chapter finds Sora, Riku and Tess being helped by Edward in order to solve their problem, while the two psycho villains go after the next princesses of heart and get a bit more than they bargained for. Pete and Hektor try to get Reddik and Rakel to listen to reason, while Aiden tries to get back to his friends, but winds up complace completely different. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	2. Chapter 2: A Supers' Challenge

Last time found Sora and the others recovering from their near crushing defeat at the hands of Xorat and Kiraxi and the loss of Nessie and Lyra, combined with the horrific fact that Sora, Riku and Tess can't summon their Keyblades.. Naturally, Nessie's family and friends, especially Bella, Edward and Jacob, were upset that she was gone, but they all soon came to terms that if Nessie and Lyra hadn't surrendered then the diabolic duo would have probably killed one or more of our heroes.

Ansem and Young Watari came in, followed by King Mickey, and it was agreed that a rescue plan would be needed, while a plan to warn Sara, Miley and Usagi would also be needed. Edward had the others go to warn the three princesses, while he had Sora, Riku and Tess stay behind so that they could work out whatever it was that was stopping them from using their Keyblades.

Over in New Hollow Bastion, Nessie and Lyra tried to make the best of their situation, but being locked in a vampire proof cell and having their powers sapped by Uridium items wasn't helping things. Xorat and Kiraxi had recovered from the minor wounds they received from their battles with Sora and the others and set out to capture the next princess, Violet Parr.

Elsewhere, Pete and Hektor tried to convince Reddik and Rakel to come back to lead the Hakonians, but the two lovers ran for it again.

And last but not least, Aiden fell through time and space and arrived onboard The TARDIS, and met the 11th Doctor and his companions Amy and Rory Pond. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 2: A Supers' Challenge**

"How long are they gonna keep running?" Pete asked as he and Hektor followed the trail of Reddik and Rakel from world to world. They'd jump out of the Dark Corridor, pick up the trail of the fugitive Hakonians and follow it to the next world. "And how long are we gonna chase after them?"

"For as long as we have to," said Hektor, "we can't go back without them."

After what seemed like an eternity, but only less than an hour, the pursuers caught up with their quarry. "Hey, you guys!" shouted Pete as he and Hecktor chased Reddik, Rakel and Kichot through an artic tundra, all of them ignoring the cold and focusing onn either running away or the pursuit.

"Just leave us the hell alone, Pete!" snapped Reddik, "we're not going back!"

"We're free now," said Rakel, "and nothing you say or do is going to make us change our minds."

"Will you at least listen to what we have to say?" Hektor asked.

"Why?" Reddik asked, "you're just going to spout the same crap about how it's our destiny to lead our people to a promised land that doesn't exist."

"We won't know if there isn't a promised land if we don't go looking for it," said Hektor. "look, I won't talk about destiny or promised lands if you will listen to everything else I have to say, is that acceptable?"

Reddik and Rakel looked at each other for a second in silent conversation, before finally nodding to each other. "Alright," said Reddik as he and Rakel relaxed, "we'll listen."

"But don't expect us to say yes," said Rakel, "we'll listen, but we won't like it."

"I don't like it either," said Hektor, "alright, I'll keep it brief. This is something that even Pete doesn't know about, it's that serious."

"What'cho talking 'bout, Hektor?" Pete asked.

"I'm talking about the fact that one of the leaders of the resistance has had a prophecy," said Hektor.

"Oh, it's one of those things," said Rakel in an annoyed tone, "I don't believe in prophecy."

"Neither do I," said Reddik, "and I'm an expert in the dark arts."

"Well this is the real deal," said Hektor, "the prophecy sees Maleficent and Gideon falling. They're going to be destroyed by the forces of light, while the light also falls. The two are going to destroy each other. Everything in the realms of light and darkness will be cast into chaos, and our people will be caught right in the middle."

"What do you mean, we're going to be caught in the middle?" Reddik asked.

"Just that," said Hektor, "there's going to be a massive final battle on The World That Never Was, a battle with Maleficent, Gideon, the demons, all the Evil Exes and a lot of other evil things on one side, while on the other side are The Keyblade Wielders and their friends and allies from across the worlds, both the old and some new ones.

"It's all going to come down to weather or not Sora can save Kairi's life. The prophecy said she'd be captured and her energies used to power a dark biot of hers, which is by now," he looked at a pocket watch, "going about the worlds with that pet Nobody of Maleficent's, Xorat, yeah, that's his name, collecting the new princesses of Heart."

"So they found out all seven?" Reddik asked.

"They've begun collecting them by now," said Hektor, "it's only a matter of time before they get all seven and use them to create a rift to limbo and summon Light Yagami."

"Who?" Rakel asked.

"A man who thinks himself a living god," said Hektor, "and has the power to back it up. The Keyblade Wielders and their allies know only part of what Light Yagami can do if allowed to run lose in the realms. If he wanted, he could cause the very fabric of reality to come undone and rework it into his own image. He'll destroy the old universe to create one of his own."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Pete demanded in a frantic tone, "why didn't you guys tell me that everything was going to be destroyed!"

"Because we knew that you would react just like this," said Hektor. "Only a handful of us Hakonians know of the prophecy," he looked at Reddik and Rakel, "but there's also a second prophecy, one that could be the salvation of everything."

"Okay, you have our attention," said Rakel.

"In the first prophecy," said Hektor, "there's one factor that leads everything to total disaster; us, the remnant of the Hakonians. Because we lower class Hakonians are without leaders, while the corrupted gentry plays political games and arrange marriages between two hated enemies, which won't end well by the way."

"Well cry me a river for Nikolai and Katarina," said Reddik, "but do go on."

"Thank you," said Hektor, "anyway, our people will be caught unawares when all hell breaks lose. We'll be so disorganized that when the time comes when we could make a difference for either the light or darkness, we won't take the change. We'll just sit idly by while existence as we know it dies."

"And the second prophecy?" Reddik asked cautiously.

"It shows our people fighting," said Hektor, "We rise up against the corrupted elite, casting them down from their high horses. This happens before just before the Keyblade Wielders and their friends arrive to fight Maleficent and Gideon. After that it gets a little foggy for a while, but the prophecy ends with our people fleeing The World that Never Was just before it is consumed by a bright light, weather it's a good or evil light, we don't know yet. We head out to parts unknown, but sure to finally find a home where we can start over."

"And this prophecy sees us leading the way for our people," said Rakel.

"It shows that there's a chance that our people and everything else in the universe won't be destroyed," said Hektor, "that's all."

"So what does that mean for us?" Reddik asked, "either we don't come back and let the universe end or whatever the hell is supposed to happen, or we go back and become slaves to a prophecy and take a job that we don't want."

"Damned if you do," said Kichot, "damned if you don't."

"Exactly," said Reddik

"I'm just telling you where we stand," said Hektor, "the Keyblade Wielders are going to try and stop the abductions of the princesses. They will fail, but they will regroup with their friends and allies, as well as many new friends and allies, and wage an all out assault on the realm of darkness. If you choose to come back and lead us, then I believe you'll have to side with the Keyblade Wielders if we are to survive."

"No!" snapped Rakel, "absolutely not! No way are we joining up with those losers! They made us suffer so much."

"I'm still splotched from when I got shot and my spell backfired," said Reddik, "I hate those Keyblade Wielders, all of them, especially that alchemist."

"Oh, he's not in the prophecy," said Hektor.

"He isn't?" Reddik asked.

"Not in the end that is," said Hektor, "in the beginning it shows Aiden Mackenzie forced to identify the princesses of heart. After that he just vanishes from the prophecy, so either he's dead or he has no further part to play."

"I hope it's the former," said Reddik.

"What if we do decide to go back," said Rakel, "and we lead our people to fight against Maleficent and the others. What then?"

"Then our people have a chance of surviving," said Hektor, "prophecies have been wrong before, but this one has never been so clear."

"So, what are you guys gonna do?" Pete asked.

At that Reddik and Rakel looked at each other before looking at Pete and Hektor, "we'll think about it," said Reddik.

"You will?" Hektor asked.

"Yes," said Rakel, "we will think about it."

"For how long?" Hektor asked as he looked at his watch again, "we don't have that much time to dally."

"We'll think about it for as long as we need to," said Reddik, "be thankful that we are even considering going back."

"Very well," said Hektor. He looked at Pete, "better get comfortable, my friend,. We may be here a while."

"Just great," said Pete as he found a tree to sit under.

* * *

><p>The Dark Corridor opened up and from it emerged Xorat and Kiraxi. They found themselves on the sidewalk of a street in the middle of a sprawling metropolis full of skyscrapers. All around them were various peoples going about their business.<p>

"What a pathetic world lost in the light," said Xorat, "I want to destroy it."

"Not just yet," said Kiraxi, "we have to get that princess brat."

"Of course," said Xorat, "but there's no reason why we can't have any fun while we're at it, can we?" he charged up a crimson sphere, "let's cause some chaos." He tossed the sphere at a nearby building. The crimson energy detonated and completely shattered the building. Thousands of tones of concrete, metal and glass came crashing down on the streets below. The pedestrians screamed in terror as they tried to escape the fallout of the destroyed building, not all of them made it to safety.

"There," said Xorat, "now that I'm all warmed up, let's go find that princess brat."

"I haven't had a chance to stretch out," said Kiraxi, "let me cause some gratuitous property damage and homicides!" she charged up a ball of black fire and threw it at another building, incinerating it within seconds. No other buildings were burned, but everyone inside the target building was scorched alive.

"Is your ego satisfied?" Xorat asked.

"It is sated for now," said Kiraxi, "now we can go find that princess."

Just then a girl wearing a violet colored suit with black gloves, black boots and wearing a black helmet while riding a violet motorbike, zoomed up the street and stopped several yards from the two villains. She got off the motorbike and took off her helmet, revealing a girl, about 16 years old, with black hair down past her shoulders held in place by an orange hair band and blue eyes beneath a black mask.

"I don't know who you two maniacs are," said the girl as she assumed a fighting stance, "but if you're the one who cause all this death and destruction, then you're in for a world of hurt!"

"And just who are you to boast such bold worlds?" Xorat asked, "wait, forgive me, it's rude to demand the name of another without giving one's own name first. I am Xorat, this is my associate, Kiraxi."

"You should introduce me first," said Kiraxi, "lades first after all."

"You are no lady, that's for sure," said Xorat.

"I'll agree with you on that, pal," said the girl, "and my name is Shielda, of The Incredibles!"

"Who?" Kiraxi asked. She then looked at Shielda more closely, "wait, yes…you're her."

"Now I see it," said Xorat, "she's the one. I honestly didn't expect you to show up so soon, Violet Parr," he smiled wickedly, "all the better."

At that Shielda blinked in surprise, but quickly recovered her composure and assumed a fighting stance, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm Shielda!"

"You are Violet Parr," said Kiraxi, "a pathetic excuse of a hero, which is bad enough. But you, you are a princess of heart, which is the only reason why we're here on this pathetic excuse of a world."

Once again Shielda blinked in surprise, "what? I'm not a princess. And I _am _a hero! One that's going to stop you maniacs before you hurt anyone else!"

"As if a slip of a girl like you could stop us," said Xorat, "as for hurting others…" he shot another crimson sphere at another building.

But Shielda shot her left hand outward and projected an indigo colored energy shield around the building that deflected the crimson blast back at Xorat. He swatted the sphere into the air where it detonated harmlessly.

"Interesting," said Kiraxi to Shielda, "that blast should have incinerated that building, and you blocked it without breaking a sweat," she then summoned her dark Keyblade, "but let's see you deflect this!" she rushed at Shielda, whom then projected a full body shield that blocked all of Kiraxi's furious Keyblade strikes.

"Very interesting," said Xorat, "your defenses are sound, but I seriously doubt that you have any offensive abilities."

"You'd be surprised what I can do," said Shielda. She then vanished completely."

"The waif can become invisible," said Kiraxi, "just like the other waif." She then stumbled as if something hit her hard in the face, then again and again.

"Not so fast!" shouted Xorat as he sent two small crimson blasts at Kiraxi. The blasts detonated at her sides, leaving her slightly singed.

"You moron!" snapped Kiraxi, "don't shoot me!"

"I was aiming for the brat!" snapped Xorat, "and those were only stunning blasts!" he then stumbled from being hit from behind. He then backhanded the empty air, only to be hit from the side.

"Where are you, you little bitch!" snapped Kiraxi as she sent several spheres of black fire out around her, but hitting nothing but rubble from the collapsed building. She then stumbled from being hit from behind.

"Got you now!" shouted Kiraxi as she kicked out and hit something, something that revealed itself to be Shielda, whom landed hard on the ground.

"No more invisible fighting for you," said Kiraxi as she got up and walked over to Shielda.

"I'm not finished yet!" said Shielda as she tried to get up.

"Oh yes you are!" said Xorat as he charged up a crimson sphere, "Maleficent and Gideon may want you alive, but accidents may happen."

But then something blue and very fast ran into the area and tackled Xorat, something that turned out to be a boy, about 12 or so, with short blond hair and wearing a mask over his blue eyes, with a blue suit styled like Shielda's but with the 'I' inside a red star and shooting stars on the gloves.

"You stay away from my sister, you creep!" snapped the masked boy.

"What kept you, Speed Star?" Shielda asked.

"Traffic, what else" Speed Star asked.

"You're going to pay for that, you brat!" snapped Xorat. He charged up a crimson blast and shot it at Speed Star, but the short Super dodged it like it was in slow motion, or rather, he was moving so fast that he was barely a blur.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to catch me," smirked Speed Star. He then ran up to Xorat and delivered several dozen punches in the blink of an eye. The sheer number of blows received in such a short amount of time sent Xorat staggering back several paces.

"You little mutant!" spat Xorat as he recovered and began firing off multiple crimson blasts, all of them missing Speed Star, "I'm going to rip you apart!"

"Not if you can't catch me!" laughed Speed Star, "and I'm no mutant, I'm a Super!"

"So am I!" said Shielda as she went invisible again, got behind Xorat and delivered a hard kick to the back of his head.

But then Kiraxi sent out a wave of black flames that knocked Shielda and Speed Star down.

"That's how you deal with them," said Kiraxi as she and Xorat walked over to the two disoriented, young Supers.

"Let's just hope that there's no more of these mutants that we have to deal with," said Xorat as he stood over Shielda, "let's just get this one back to base before something else happens."

But then he was engulfed in a large shadow that was cast by a very tall heavily muscled and somewhat overweight super in a red suit. He had short, mildly balding blond hair and blue eyes behind his mask and was looking very irate.

"Get away from my children!" said the super as he reached back and punched Xorat in the face with enough force to send him crashing into a building across the street.

"Hey!" snapped Kiraxi as she charged up a double handful of black flames and glared at the tall Super, "you can't just barge in like that, fatty!"

"I can do whatever I have to do to stop evildoers like you," said the tall super, "and the name is Mr. Incredible, remember it!"

"I'll remember it when I send you to hell, fatso!" snapped Kiraxi, "prepare yourself for…" that's as far as she got, before being punched in the face by a black-gloved first that was attached to an orange suited arm that stretched to a woman in a red suit. She had short auburn hair and brown eyes and looked really angry.

"Don't you call my husband fat, you tramp!" snapped the woman as her arm retracted to normal.

"Nice timing, Elastawoman," said Mr. Incredible.

"Really great timing, mom," said Shielda as she and Speed Star got up.

"Are you two aright?" Elastawoman asked as she walked over.

"A little shook up," said Speed Star, "but we can handle it."

"I don't believe this," said an outraged Kiraxi as she held her hand to her now broken nose, black blood streaming down her nostrils, "a family of mutants?"

"We're not mutants," said Shielda as she and her family assumed fighting stances, "We're The Incredibles!"

"Remember it!" said Speed Star.

Just then Xorat extracted himself from the building he crashed into. His head was at an awkward angle as he walked over. He stopped next to Kiraxi and straightened his neck out with several loud pops.

"This is not what we expected," said Xorat, "we're going to have to have Maleficent and Gideon provide us with better information on our next assignment."

"Wait, Gideon?" Mr. Incredible asked, "Gideon Graves?"

"I thought he was dead," said Elastawoman.

"Mom, who's this Gideon guy?" Shielda asked.

"The last person you want to meet," said Elastawoman.

"Well she's going to meet her soon enough," said Kiraxi, "for Mr. Graves wants the brat, and Mr. Graves always gets what he wants."

"But the rest of you can go to hell for all I care," said Xorat. He raised his arm and summoned a modified Guard Armor that was colored yellow and green and had for arms covered in spikes.

"Why do the bad guys always have a giant robot up their slieves?" Speed Star asked.

"It's one of their things," said Elastawoman.

"Enough talk!" said Xorat. He then directed the revamped Guard Armor, "destroy them, but keep the girl alive!"

The improved Guard Armor then stomped towards the four supers. It raised the top pair of arms and shot the fists at Mr. Incredible and Elastawoman. Elastawoman stretched out and dodged one of the fists, while Mr. Incredible grabbed the gauntlet and slammed it to the ground.

But the two metal hands shot back up and began spilling around, trying to reach their targets.

The improved guard Armor then opened it's helmet and shot a Thunder attack at Dash, but he dodged the bolt as easily as if it was moving in slow motion.

The metal Heartless then shot several Blizzard spells at Dash, but again he dodged them. He then ran at the improved Guard Armor, ran up it's metal shell and kicked it in the helmet, knocking it off.

Shielda then ran up to the metal Heartless and projected her force field right in front of it, causing it to trip over the barrier. The remaining pieces fell over and broke apart from each other when they crashed to the ground.

"Is that the best you can call upon?" Shielda shouted to the two Villains.

"We've got more where that came from!" said Kiraxi, "and this one is just getting started!"

The pieces of the Guard Armor, the four arms, the two legs, the chest and back plate and he helmet, all got up and hovered in the air, before they began thrashing about, smashing anything that got close.

The helmet then sent out a massive flamethrower attack at Mr. Incredible. He endured it without getting burned.

"I'll admit," said Xorat, "you are incredible."

"Thanks," said Mr. Incredible as he picked up a large piece of rubble and threw it at the Nobody. Xorat stood there and punched the incoming rubble into powder.

"As it turns out," said Xorat, "I too am incredible!" he then ran at Mr. Incredible and punched him hard in the face. The tall super shrugged the punch off and punched Xorat in the face. The Nobody endured the blow and the two of them began trading punches.

Meanwhile Kiraxi was shooting black fireballs at Elastawoman, but the stretchy super kept dodging them. Elastawoman then stretched out her fists behind her and shot them forward, delivered a massive double punch to the biot, knocking her down.

But Kiraxi got back up and rushed at Elastawoman, aiming her dark Keyblade at the super's head. Elastawoman stretched her neck back and dodged the Keyblade strike by inches. She then stretched her leg up high and brought it down hard on Kiraxi's head, slamming the vile biot into the ground.

By then Speed Star was running circles around the various pieces of the improved Guard Armor, disorienting them so much that they collapsed to the ground too dizzy to get up.

"Great," said Shielda, "but how do we destroy them?"

""They destroy you, you brat!" snapped Xorat just before getting hit in the face by Mr. Incredible, then retaliated with a fist to the face of his own.

Just then the pieces of the Guard Armor got back up and pulled themselves together, becoming the whole giant Heartless once again. It then stalked towards Shielda and Speed Star.

"Any bright ideas?" Speed Star asked.

"Actually, I do have one," said Shielda. She then projected her force field around the improved Guard Armor. But instead of the barrier keeping something out, it was keeping the giant Heartless in. The Guard Armor tried to get out, but Shielda's force field held firm against it's thrashing.

"I think it's shaking itself apart!" said Speed Star, "keep it up!"

"That's what I'm doing!" said Shielda as she held up both hands and kept her unblinking eyes on the giant metal Heartless. The strain was beginning to show on her face as she focused her energies on maintaining her force field.

After about a minute of bashing against the force field, the giant Heartless began to break apart, the individual pieces dissolving into black smoke. When the last piece dissolved, Shielda released her force field with a gasp of relief. The smoke rose into the air, while a giant crystal heart also rose into the air and vanished.

"That takes care of that," said Shielda.

"Oh for crying out loud!" snapped Kiraxi, "this has gone on far enough!"

"I couldn't agree more!" said Xorat. He then jumped out of the way of a face punch and rose into the air. He then crossed his arms and began powering up his energies, his whole body pulsing with crimson energy.

"What's he doing?" Elastawoman asked.

"Something bad!" said Shielda, "something terrible!"

"I can take it," said Speed Star, "just let me at him!"

"The only thing you're going to get is a fist full of death!" snapped Kiraxi.

"Not if we stop you first!" shouted Mr. Incredible as he started towards Kiraxi, but Shielda stopped him.

"Dad, don't!" shouted Shielda, "get behind me! Everyone! Get behind me!"

"Why?" Speed Star asked.

"Just do it!" said Shielda.

"Don't argue with her, Speed Star!" said Elastawoman, "trust your sister's instincts!"

"It doesn't matter what you do!" said Kiraxi, "you're all doomed!"

"Not just yet!" said Shielda as her family stood next to her and she projected her force field around them, just as Xorat finished charging up.

"Take this, you pathetic heroes!" shouted Xorat as he released a massive crimson blast that shot out and shattered several nearby buildings.

Shielda's force field protected her family, but the sheer power of the blast drained her energies to the point where when the blast cleared, she passed out cold and collapsed into her fathers' arms.

But then Xorat landed and punched Mr. Incredible in the face, knocking him back, while Kiraxi blasted Elastawoman and Speed Star with black flames.

Xorat grabbed the unconscious Shielda, slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and summoned a Dark Corridor, "let's get out of here," he said to Kiraxi, "before any more would be heroes show up."

"I couldn't agree more," said Kiraxi, "this place sickens me!"

"Hey!" shouted Mr. Incredible, "we're not done here!"

"Let my daughter go!" shouted Elastawoman.

"This ain't over!" said Speed Star.

"We agree on that," said Xorat, "this is far from over!"

"It's only the beginning!" said Kiraxi as she and Xorat went through the Dark Corridor with their ill gotten prize, "the beginning of the end!" The evil portal closed up after them.

"Oh it's the end alright!" shouted Mr. Incredible, "the end of you! I'll follow you to the end of time itself!"

"They're gone," said Elastawoman in a deflated tone, "and they've got our daughter."

"I guess we're going to have to rescue her, aren't we," said Speed Star.

"Oh, you'd better believe it," said Elastawoman, "we're going to get her back, and we're going to make the ones who took her pay, and we'll also make the ones who sent her pay as well."

"Gideon Graves," said Mr. Incredible in an irate tone, "this time, it's for keeps!"

* * *

><p><strong>…New Hollow Bastion…<strong>

Gideon suddenly sneezed, "someone must be talking about me. I wouldn't be surprised if it was an insult."

"Neither would I be surprised," said Maleficent as they watched Kiraxi and Xorat escort the still unconscious Shielda through the corridors of the castle to the dungeon, "let them spout their insults, it will do them little good."

"What about you?" Gideon asked Kairi, "still have any bad words for me? Or have you decided to conserve your energies?"

"I've got plenty to say you freaking cockroach!" snapped Kairi, "just give me the chance and I'll squash you!"

"That's hardly princess behavior from you," said The Negotiator, "especially one with such a pure heart."

"Well right now my heart isn't feeling so pure," said Kairi.

"Don't let Sora hear that," said Gideon, "it might just break his fragile heart."

"Sora's got more heart than you'll ever have," said Kairi, "he and the others will come and finish you once and for all!"

"Well, if he does come," said Gideon, "we'll be ready for him."

"In the meantime," said Maleficent as she used her staff to mark the image of Violet with a red circle, "we will continue to collect all of the target waifs. The time of the light is fast approaching its downfall. The time of the darkness is about to rise."

* * *

><p>"What do you two bastards want?" Nessie asked as she and Lyra saw Kiraxi and Xorat stand outside the cell.<p>

"We're just delivering the first of your new cellmates," said Kiraxi.

Lyra then saw the unconscious Shielda on Xorat's shoulder, "oh no," she said.

"Oh yeah," said a viciously grinning Xorat. Kiraxi deactivated the barrier on the cell. Immediately several of the armored Heartless rushed in and held Nessie and Lyra back, while Xorat unceremoniously tossed Shielda onto a cot. The Zip Slashers backed out of the cell and Kiraxi reactivated the barrier.

"Enjoy having company," said Xorat, "you're going to have a lot more soon."

"Just as soon as we recharge," said Kiraxi.

"Oh yeah, you got worked over," said Nessie as she saw the various minor wounds on the two villains, "who's the lucky one who took you to the cleaners? I owe them a thank you card."

"Not that it makes any difference," said Kiraxi, "but it was this one and her freaky family," she pointed at Shielda, "the whole brood have these powers, but they wear masks. Why I don't like that, none of your freaking business." With that she and Xorat walked away.

"I'd give real gold to throw those two into a vat of acid," said an irate Nessie.

"I'd feed them to the harpies," said Lyra, "but what about our new friend here?" They looked at the unconscious Shielda, "and why is she wearing a mask?"

"I'd say she's a super hero," said Nessie, "there's scores of them in various stories on my world. She must be from a world where super heroes are real, and she's one of them."

"What exactly does that mean?" Lyra asked as she checked to see if Shielda was hurt. She then touched the mask and started to take it off.

"Wait! Don't!" said Nessie, "super heroes value their secret identities."

"Their what?" Lyra asked as she took the mask off. A second later Shielda woke up and saw Lyra and Nessie.

"What the…?" she asked, "where am I? who are you people?" she felt her face and a shocked look dawned upon her, then she saw that Lyra had her mask, "give me that! You shouldn't have taken my mask off!"

Lyra hastily handed the mask back, "I don't see why it's so important that you keep your identity secret. We don't even know who you are."

"But we know what you are," said Nessie, as Shielda put her mask back on 'you're like us; girls with pure hearts."

"What does that mean?" Shielda asked. She then looked like she just remembered something terrible, "oh no, my family! What happened to my mom, dad and brother?"

"Just calm down and tell us everything," said Nessie, "it's going to be alright, somehow."

"We'll tell you our story while we're at it," said Lyra.

"We're going to be here for a while," said Pan, "so we all might as well get to know each other."

"Why is that ferret talking?" Shielda asked.

"He's not a ferret," said Lyra, "he's a pine martin, and to be exact, he's my daemon, my soul."

"Of course he is," said Shielda in a sarcastic tone. "Well," she sighed as she sat down and pressed a hidden button on her gloves. Her suit vanished in a flash, revealing Shielda in her civilian attire; a peach colored shirt and blue jeans with white tennis shoes and an orange hair band, "call me crazy, but I feel that you two can be trusted with my secret identity. I'm Violet Parr."

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen, but everyone calls me Nessie."

"Lyra Silvertonge, you've already met Pantalimon."

At that Violet told Nessie and Lyra how she got in the current mess she was in, "so the last thing I remember is putting my force field around my family," said Violet, "And that horrible man, that Xorat, he sent out this really strong pulse of energy that I barely blocked."

"You could block Xora's pulse blast?" Lyra asked.

Violet held up her left hand and created a smaller version of her force field in the form of sphere, "this is only a small part of what I can do. And I can become invisible."

"Oh, I know someone who can do that," said Lyra, "she's a bit nutty in the head though. Bad experiences from when she was little."

"Oh, PTSD," said Violet, "post traumatic stress disorder, "but she's getting help, is she?"

"As long as she's with her friends," said Lyra, "then Tess will be alright."

"What about you, Violet," said Nessie, "are you alright?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't alright," said Violet, "and if I'm alright, then my family is alright, at least I think so."

"Well if you're family is as incredible as you say they are," said Nessie, "then they're going to do everything they can to get you back."

"Wouldn't it be fantastic if our friends and loved ones teamed up with Violet's family?" Lyra asked.

"Now that would be super," said Violet. "But if you don't mind, I'm going to try and figure out a way out of here," she stood up and nearly lost her balance.

"Yeah, we noticed that when we got here as well," said Nessie as she and Lyra helped steady Violet, "there's something about this cell that's draining our powers."

"Okay," said Violet, "I was warned that something like this could happen to me at some point. My mom and dad had a lot of experience with villains who found ways to get around their powers. But this isn't the worst situation."

She walked over to the cell force field, "how strong is this?" she asked.

"Strong enough to put a half vampire like me in the hospital," said Nessie, "I hope it doesn't upset you that I'm half monster."

"After all the crazy stuff in my life," said Violet, "a half vampire isn't the worst I've seen," she then began feeling along the walls of the cell, "In fact, it's pretty cool."

"Glad to know that," said Nessie as Violet kept feeling along the walls.

"We've already done that," said Lyra, "there's nothing there that we can use to get out."

"Mind if I look myself?" Violet asked, "I might find something you might have missed."

"Not likely," said Nessie, "I'm pretty thorough when I do a search. But you're right. If we're going to get out of here and stop Gideon and Maleficent, we're going to have to work together."

"And fast," said Lyra, "I'm afraid that Xorat and Kriaxi were right about us having more cellmates before too long."

"Well there's nothing we can do about it now," said Violet, "except try and escape. So, while we're here, tell me about you guys. How'd you two end up in this mess?"

"It's a very long story," said Nessie.

"Well time is something we have a lot of," said Lyra.

* * *

><p><strong>…Twilight Town…<strong>

"You've really fixed the place up, Ansem," said Sora as he, Riku and Tess stood in the Foyer of the Old Mansion, which had been seriously cleaned of refuse, repainted and redecorated.

"We've had more than some spare time on our hands," said Young Watari, "The Computer Room is where we did the most work though. I can't tell you how many man hours we spent rebuilding the computer; Roxas sure did a number on it."

"Well I say we've rather improved it," said Ansem, "I'd be more than happy to give you the grand tour."

"That can wait," said Edward, "we have a more pressing matter to attend to."

"Yes, our three troubled Keyblade Wielders," said Ansem.

"Do we really have to take care of it now?" Tess asked.

"The sooner we confront the problem, the sooner the three of you will be back to normal," said Edward, "thank you, Young Watari, the White Room upstairs will be perfect for therapy sessions."

"I really wish you wouldn't do that," said Young Watari, "listen in on my thoughts. I happen to have a lot of information in my mind that could do a lot of damage if any of it got into the wrong hands."

"I know how to keep a secret," said Edward, "now," he looked at Sora, Riku and Tess, "shall we begin? Or do you want this problem to haunt you for the rest of your lives?"

"I certainly don't want to be like this forever," said Riku.

"Not me," said Tess.

"And not me," said Sora, "I want my Keyblade back."

"Then lead on, Riku," said Edward.

"What are you talking about?" Tess asked.

"I've been here before," said Riku, "so I know where The White Room is."

"And he heard it from your thoughts," said Sora.

The three of them and Edward went upstairs to the room where Namine once did her drawings. A few of them were still tacked to the walls.

"You'd think they'd at least put some color into this place," said Tess as she, Sora and Riku sat at the chairs around the table.

"It wouldn't be The White Room if it had any other color," said Sora.

"White is the absence of color," said Riku, "but that's not important right now."

"What is important is realizing the source of your issues," said Edward, "now, to start, I'd like you to try summoning your Keyblades again. I will listen to your thoughts as you're making the attempt and try to discern the source of the problem."

"Do you want us to try together?" Riku asked as he stood up, "or one by one?"

"Individually to start with for now," said Edward.

"Alright," said Riku, "here I go." He held out his hand and tried to bring Way to the Dawn into existence once again, but nothing happened. He closed his eyes in concentration, his forehead creased with focus, but nothing happened.

After a minute he sighed with resignation and sat down, "nothing," he said, "I…I can't do it."

"What did you hear in his head?" Tess asked Edward.

"Quite a lot," said Edward, "there's a lot of mental process involved in summoning a Keyblade, from what I understood that is."

"Really?" Sora asked, "for me it sometimes happened when I wasn't thinking, but just feeling."

"That's true," said Edward, "your mind and heart were working together, or rather, they were trying to connect to summon the Keyblade. This is astounding; the summoning of a Keyblade involved a balanced connection between the mind and the heart."

"But what's wrong?" Tess asked as she stood up and tried to summon her Keyblade, but like Riku, her Keyblade wouldn't come into being.

"From what I can tell," said Edward, "your mind and heart are trying to make the connection, but there is something blocking it. I have my suspicions as to what the block is, but I'll need to study it more in order to fully understand it."

"Let me try!" said Sora as he stood up. He focused on his Keyblade as hard as he could, even so much as breaking out in a sweat.

"Take it easy, Sora," said Riku, "you're going to blow a gasket if you keep it up like that."

"What's a gasket?" Tess asked.

"I'll tell you later," said Riku.

"Wait!" said Sora in a strained tone, "I…I think I've…I've almost got it!" he concentrated even harder, but then he suddenly gasped in shock and collapsed to the floor.

Edward managed to catch Sora before he hit the white hardwood. "I'm so sorry, Sora," said Edward has he helped Sora stand up, "I shouldn't have let you get that far."

"No, it's alright," said Sora, "I'm alright."

"What happened?" Riku asked, "you looked like you did blow a gasket."

Sora was about to respond, but words seemed to fail him for a second, "you know, I can't remember what happened. One second I thought I had found my Keyblade again, next thing you know, I'm falling."

"But what happened to you?" Tess asked.

"I can't remember," said Sora.

"I know what happened," said Edward as he sat down again, "it's worse than I thought. Sora, just as you thought you had broken through the block, you experienced what is known as a mental flashback, one involving a very powerful, very dark memory.

"In the blink of an eye, you relived your battle with the faux Kairi, specifically the moment where she shattered your Keyblade."

"That's what happened?" Sora asked.

"You don't remember because you repressed it," said Edward.

"But I remember the fight right now," said Sora, "and it doesn't really hurt at all."

"It doesn't hurt me either," said Tess.

"Me neither," said Riku.

"And that is the mystery," said Edward, "why can you remember the battle without pain, yet when you tried to get through your block, the memory asserted itself with a vengeance. Now I know for sure that all three of you have this same block in your minds, and that if you, Riku and Tess, if you were to try and force your Keyblades into existence, you'd suffer the same horrific experience Sora had just now. This is indeed a conundrum. And yes, Tess, we are going to be here for quite a while."

"I figured as much," said Tess as she irately crossed her arms.

* * *

><p><strong>…Somewhere in time and space…<strong>

After an indeterminable amount of time Aiden regained full consciousness. He found himself in what appeared to be an average hotel room; complete with a large bed, a TV set.

Just then the man in the suit and bowtie, The Doctor, walked into the room, "oh goody, you're up and about." He held out his green-glowing device and used it to scan Aiden, "no ill effects. For a young man who fell through time you're doing remarkably well."

"Weird stuff happens to me all the time," said Aiden, "and what is that thing you're pointing at me?"

"What, this old thing?" The Doctor asked as he looked at his device, "it's just my trusty Sonic Screwdriver."

"Of course it is," said Aiden, "look, are you really The Doctor, last of the Time Lords? 'Cause it's really important that I talk to you."

"Well you've found me," said The Doctor, "now, what can I do for you, Aiden Mackenzie?"

"How do you know my name?" Aiden asked, "wait, I did tell you my name. And those other two, Rory and Amy Pond, who are they?"

"They're actually Amy and Rory Pond," said The Doctor, "and they're my friends, companions if you will. Now, what's this you need to talk to me about?"

At that Aiden sighed, "that's the thing, I don't know. I was told that I need to ask you something very, very, very important, but I have no idea what that question is."

Just then Amy Pond walked in, "that's going to make things difficult, isn't it."

"What are you doing here?" Aiden asked, "and…just where am I anyway?"

"You're onboard The TARDIS," said Amy Pond.

"Time And Relative Dimensions In Space," said The Doctor.

"Of course," said Aiden, "um, is this supposed to be some sort of starship?"

"It travels in space," said The Doctor, "and time."

"Which can be really confusing sometimes," said Rory Pond as he walked in.

"What is this, a train station?" Aiden asked, "don't you people knock before you enter a room?"

"The only door that matters on this boat is the front door," said Amy Pond.

"Of course," said Aiden, "listen, aside from needing to ask a question that I need that I have absolutely no idea what it is, I need to get back to my friends. They're in a lot of trouble and need my help."

"Just what kind of trouble are you and your friends in?" Rory Pond asked.

"Big trouble," said Aiden, "the end of the universe kind of trouble." He then gave The Doctor, Amy and Rory Pond a summarized version of everything that's happened so far, only the important parts. For some reason he left out the various battles he, Sora and the others had with The Hakonians, it just didn't seem important to what Aiden was going through at that time.

"And that's it," said Aiden, "by now Maleficent and Gideon are going after the new Princesses of Heart. I don't know if they've gotten Nessie and Lyra yet. I know that Sora and the others will fight to the bitter end to protect them, but that Nobody, that Xorat, and that evil biot of Kairi that they've made by now, they're tougher than anything we've ever seen before."

He looked The Doctor in the eye, "I know that I'm a stranger here, but I'm desperate. I have to get back to my friends, and if there's anything you can do to help me, please, do it."

"This is beyond belief," said Rory Pond, "worlds based on mythology and legends, and Disney no less? And creatures of living darkness derived from negative emotions?"

"And magic no less," said Amy Pond.

"Actually that part is defiantly real," said The Doctor, "remind me to tell you two about The Carrionites."

"Well, there's still the parallel universes," said Amy Pond, "didn't you once tell me that traveling to other universes was impossible?"

"Apparently not for Aiden and his friends," said The Doctor as he looked at the data result from his Sonic Screwdriver, "there are ways to cross dimensions, not safely, but it's possible. But Aiden here, he shows signs of having crossed universes without any ill effects."

"Magic," said Aiden, "but with me, Alchemy."

"Alchemy?" Amy Pond asked.

"Show me something broken," said Aiden, "something that has all the pieces, and I'll fix it in a flash."

"How about the Chameleon Circuit?" Rory Pond asked.

"Ah, no," said The Doctor, "I tried to fix it a few times, none of them ever turned out well, so we'll be leaving that part out, but there is one thing that can be fixed, on the bridge. I'll show you, Aiden Mackenzie."

He showed Aiden through the corridors of the ship, with Amy and Rory Pond behind them.

"Just how big is this ship?" Aiden asked.

"Big enough to have a library and a swimming pool," said The Doctor.

"And a lot of other rooms that seem to have no apparent purpose," said Rory Pond.

"They do for Time Lords," said The Doctor.

"Naturally," Aiden said sarcastically.

Eventually they reached the bridge of The TARDIS, a large control room with a steam punk theme. In the middle of the room was a circular, six-paneled control module with a crystalline structure in the exact middle. On the far side of the control room was a large set of doors.

On the control module was a view screen attacked to an extendable port. The screen had a crack.

"That happened due to a hiccup in time that hit us just before you got here," said The Doctor, "happens sometimes, but it's hard to find replacement parts for a Type 40 TARDIS nowadays."

"Aren't there any more time ships?" Aiden asked, "or can't you build another one?"

"That'd be more than a little difficult," said The Doctor, "TARDIS's aren't built, they're grown, and they could only be grown on my home world."

"Gallifrey," said Aiden, "I heard it was destroyed in the war against The Daleks," he then spoke seriously, "I'm sorry to say that the sacrifice of your people was in vain. The Daleks survived. My friends and I destroyed some of them, but if they're as tenacious as they're supposed to be, then there's more Daleks out there somewhere."

"We already know there's more Daleks out there somewhere," said Amy Pond, "we've seen them."

"Oh, okay," said Aiden, "well, let me see that broken screen," he looked at the machine in question and took out a piece of chalk. He drew a transmutation circle on the side of the machine and activated it. In a flash of alchemic energy the view screen was good as new.

"Okay," said an amazed Amy Pond, "I'm impressed."

"This it too fantastic to be true," said Rory Pond. He looked at The Doctor, "doesn't this go against the laws of physics or something?"

"In some cases, yes," said The Doctor, "but not all things improbably are impossible."

"So you'll help me?" Aiden asked.

At that The Doctor looked up at something, as if lost in thought, "I'm over 900 years old, Aiden Mackenzie. I've been back to the past and the future so may times. I've seen so may friends come and go, some on their own, some struck down. I've faced many dangers and fought many evils. I orchestrated the near destruction of my own people in order to save countless others. And I've fought Heartless, yes, I have seen the creatures of living darkness."

"When exactly did you do that?" Rory Pond asked.

"Oh, it was ages ago," said The Doctor, "ages ago, lifetimes even. I was a very, very different man when I was young. I left home as soon as I was able to and began traveling time and space, and one of the first places I visited was a world on the verge of succumbing to the darkness. It's a long story, but I helped several Keyblade Wielders defeat the darkness."

"Then you've seen Keyblades before," said Aiden.

"What are Keyblades?" Amy Pond asked.

"This for one," said Aiden as he summoned his Keyblade, causing Amy and Rory to cry out in astonishment, while The Doctor mere smiled in surprise at the sight of something that resembled something he saw long ago.

"And the best part," said Aiden as he handed his Keyblade to Rory, then summoned it back into his hand, earning more gasps of surprise from Amy and Rory, "it's mine for life."

"Well," said The Doctor as he clapped his hands together, "let's go help Aiden's friends!"

"Then we're really going to these Realms of Light?" Amy asked.

"And the realm of darkness?" Rory asked.

"Well we won't get there until we get going, now will we?" The Doctor asked as he rushed to the control module and threw a switch. The bridge lurched sideways and shook about as the crystalline part of the control module rose and fell with a grinding, wheezing sound.

"Is it always this rough, traveling with The Doctor?" Aided asked Rory and Amy as they held on to different fixed parts of the bridge.

"This is actually a smooth takeoff," said Amy, "we've been in rougher spots."

"We're now hurtling through the vortex of time," said The Doctor as he pressed a button on one panel, then hurried to another to throw a switch, then pressed a button, "where the past and the future are everywhere and nowhere at once!"

"And how long until we get back to my friends?" Aiden asked.

"Could be seconds, could be hours," said The Doctor, "we won't know for sure until we get there."

Just then the crystalline central column slowed down and stopped, while the bridge stopped shaking as well.

"Oh, looks like we're there already," said The Doctor as he looked at a computer screen, "atmosphere looks good, gravity is normal for humans, weather, a tad bit rainy, but it should clear up soon."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Aiden asked as he rubbed his wrists, "alright, let's do this!" he then walked to the door, opened it and walked outside, shortly followed by The Doctor, Amy and Rory.

But when Aiden walked outside, the caught the ship in the corner of his eye, turned around and saw that The TARDIS was a blue box no bigger than a telephone booth.

"What the…?" Aiden asked.

"I know, it looks like a police box," said Amy, "but you saw that it was bigger on the inside."

Aiden walked around the box that was The TARDIS, "how… why does your ship look this way, Doctor?"

"Ah, that would be the broken Chameleon Circuit," said The Doctor, "normally a TARDIS can disguise itself to suit whatever environment it arrives in. Land in a forest, it becomes a tree or a boulder. Land inside a building and it becomes a cabinet or a closet. Land in the middle of London in 1963 and it becomes a police box."

"But it's broken," said Aiden, "are you sure you don't want it fixed?"

"I actually like it this way," said The Doctor as he patted the side of The TARDIS.

"Uh, Doctor?" Rory asked in a concerned tone, "are you sure we're where we're supposed to be?"

"Are we ever sure of where we're going?" Amy asked.

Aiden then realized what was wrong. They had arrived in the middle of a wide alley right smack in the middle of a sprawling metropolis in the middle of the night. The buildings were all black with dazzling lights, designed in a vastly advanced style. Flying cars were all over the place, traveling in lanes miles high and several layers deep.

"Well, Aiden Mackenzie," said The Doctor, "are we where we're supposed to be?"

"No, we are not, Doctor," said Aiden, "I honestly don't know where we are."

**The end of chapter 2.**

Next chapter finds Donald, Goofy and their group warning Sara and her friends of the dangers to come. Will they be able to keep Sara and Dream Valley safe? Or will the Little Ponies meet their doom at the hands of Xorat and Kiraxi. Meanwhile, Aiden and his time traveling companions realize that they have arrived in the last place they want to be, or at least that's how Aiden feels. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	3. Chapter 3: Dream Valley Disaster

Last time found Sora, Riku and Tess start their recovery with Edward helping them out. The two psycho villains, Xorat and Kiraxi, went to Metroville on a parallel Earth, to capture one of the princesses of heart, Shielda, otherwise known as Violet Parr. Shielda and her family of fellow super heroes put up a valiant fight, but it was in vain as Xorat and Kiraxi captured Violet and took her to New Hollow Bastion, where she was placed in the power-draining cell with Nessie and Lyra. Elsewhere in time and space, Aiden recovered from his ordeal and was formerly introduced to The Doctor and his companions, Amy and Rory Pond. The Doctor promised to take Aiden back to his friends in the realms of light, but The TARDIS had other ideas, arriving on a completely different world altogether. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 3: Dream Valley Disaster**

The portal opened up and from it emerged Donald, Goofy, Bella, Jacob and the four wolves. They found themselves at the bottom of a large hill overlooking a large, picturesque valley and on top of the hill was a beautiful ranch-like house. A few clouds were in the brightly blue sky, with one particularly large one blocking the sun, but still the valley was brightly lit.

"Paradise Estates of Dream Valley," said Donald.

"It's just as purty as it was before," said Goofy.

"They don't build them like this back in Forks," said Bella.

"And they got the name right," said Jacob as he and his pack took in the sights of the valley.

Just then two boys walked out of the building, The first boy looked to be about 16 and stood at about 5'7". He had a medium complexion, brown eyes and light brown hair. He wore blue jeans with a blue and green shirt under a blue and green jacket. He seemed to possesses an easygoing nature that hid a serious undertone, one of great passion for life.

The second boy was about 16 and stood at 5'8". He had a light skin tone, with hazel eyes and hair that was died sky blue. He wore a blue and white shirt under a leather jacket and wore blue jeans. A pair of aviator sunglasses sat atop his head. He seemed to have a playful personality, like everything was one big laugh to him.

"Donald! Goofy!" shouted the brown haired boy.

"What are you doing here?" the blue haired boy with the sunglasses asked, "and where's Sora, Riku, Kairi and Aiden?"

"Long story," said Donald as the two boys walked down.

"An it sure ain't a happy one," said Goofy.

"I don't suppose you're going to introduce us to these guys," said Jacob, "or are we just going to have to guess?"

"We can introduce ourselves," said the brown haired boy.

"But isn't it polite to give ones own name before demanding it of someone else?" the boy with the sunglasses asked. "Anyway, I'm David Statos, and this lug head over here is my BFFL Nate River."

"At your service," said Nate River as he nodded his head.

Bella responded by nodding her head, "Isabella Cullen, but everyone calls me Bella.

"Jacob Black, just Jake to my friends," he then indicated the four wolves, "that's Quill, Embry, Seth and Leah, my pack. We're all friends of Sora and the others."

"Your pack?" David Statos asked.

"It's complicated," said Jacob, "they may look like giant wolves, but they've got minds and hearts of human beings, extraordinary human beings that is."

Just then one of The Little Ponies walked out of the house. She was a unicorn with pinkish purple skin and a multi-colored mane and tail. Her Cutie Mark was that of several stats arranged in a constellation formation.

"Donald! Goofy!" said the unicorn pony, whose name was Galaxy by the way, teleported down the hill in the style known as Winking, a power shared by all unicorn ponies.

"What brings you back here?" Galaxy asked, "and where are Sora, Kairi and the others?" she then looked at Bella, Jacob and the wolves, "and who are these interesting people?"

"It's a long, crazy story," Jacob.

"Well we've been through crazy," said Nate River.

"We're wasting time!" said Donald, "We've got to talk to Sara; it's an emergency!"

"What about Sara?" Nate River asked.

"What emergency?" David Stratos asked.

"Again, long story," said Jacob.

"Your friend is in terrible danger," said Bella.

At that David and Nate blinked in surprise, "what kind of danger?"

"Wait, I'll go tell the others," said Galaxy. She then winked out.

"I'll never get used to that," said David.

Just then another boy and a girl walked up the hill to the house. The boy looked to be about 15 and stood at 5'11". He had a deeply tanned complexion with greenish blue eyes and dark brown hair. He wore a brown shirt with a green jacket and blue jeans. He had a calm yet serious nature about him, one that seemed as sturdy as a rock.

The girl was about 16 and stood at 5'3". She had indigo eyes and waist-length fire-red hair and a pale complexion. She wore a yellow halter-top under a red and orange jacket and an orange skirt with red boots. She had a blazing aura about her, one of mixed emotions that could shift between anger and joy in a heartbeat.

"Lance! Denise!" said Nate River as he waved to the two newcomers, "some friends of Sora just got here!"

"That's Lance Stonehill and Denise Emberson," said Nate, "we're all friends and protectors of our princess, Sara. Lance, Denise, these guys with Donald and Goofy are friends of Sora."

"Why didn't Sora come?" Lance Stonehill asked.

"And where are the others?" Denise Emberson asked, "Kairi, Riku and Aiden."

"We'll tell you when we talk to Sara," said Bella, "we've come to warn her of a terrible danger coming."

"What kind of danger?" Denise asked, "whatever it is, we'll face it head on."

"We can handle ourselves in a fight," said Lance.

"You sure look like good friends," said Bella, "but how are you Sara's protectors?"

"Oh, you want to know what we can do," said Denise as she smiled eagerly, "well, allow us to demonstrate," She then held up her right hand, "Ruby Inferno!"

With a surge of energy, her Stand, a red phoenix, appeared before her.

"Emerald Mountain!" shouted Lance and his green tiger Stand appeared.

"Sapphire Torrent!" shouted David and his blue turtle Stand appeared.

"Topaz Skye!" said David Stratos and his yellow dragon Stand appeared.

"So those are Stands," said Bella, "holy crow."

"Hey, I say that a lot," said David.

Just then a tall boy, about 17, with long black hair tied in a pigtail, wearing a red Chinese shirt and blue pants, ran towards our heroes, "Donald, Goofy!" the boy, Ranma, shouted, "what are you doing here? And where are Sora and the others?"

"How many times are we going to be asked this today?" Jacob asked.

"And who are you?" Ranma asked, "and what's with the wolves?" he then looked at Bella, "and who are you?"

"I'm an exceptionally irate mother who's had her daughter kidnapped," said Bella as she crossed her arms.

"All those dreams that Sora and the others told ya 'bout," said Goofy to Ranma, "'bout that girl who runs with wolves?"

"Those are the wolves," said Donald, indicating Quill, Embry, Seth and Leah.

"And he's the apricot wolf," said Goofy, indicating Jacob.

"Alpha wolf, ya big palooka," said Donald.

"And my daughter is the one Sora and the others were chasing after," said Bella.

"Okay," said Ranma, "I get it, sort of, but what's this all got to do with Sara?"

"They're saying that she's in some kind of danger," said Nate.

"What kind of danger?" Sara Lancaster asked. Sara, a girl about 15 years old and standing at 5'5 with shoulder-length blond hair, blue eyes and medium skin color. She wore an orange and blue shirt under a yellow and green windbreaker, with blue jeans. She seemed to have the most balanced personality of the group.

"Hi, Sara!" said Donald.

"Hi, Donald, hi Goofy," said Sara, "now what kind of danger am I in?"

"It's a long story," said Goofy.

"Well don't keep us in suspense, man," said Lance, "tell us already!"

"Well, to make a long story short," said Bella as she handed the portable player to Sara, "watch this."

Sara then saw the video that Sora, Riku and Tess had made, with Lance, Nate, Denise, David and Ranma looking over their shoulders.

"So the enemy knows I'm a princess of heart," said Sara in an accepting, "and they're sending an evil copy of Kairi after me."

"And that creep, Pantyhose Taro," said Ranma in an irate tone, "I should have finished him off on Metamore when I had the chance," he slammed his fist into his palm in frustration. He then looked at Donald and Goofy, "but it's much worse, isn't it?"

"Those two," said Jacob, "that Xorat and that Kiraxi, that monster with Kairi's face, they completely wiped the floor with all of us. And they took Nessie and Lyra."

"What about Aiden?" Denise asked.

"Aiden was already taken by the enemy," said Bella, "along with Kairi.

"So how do you expect to protect Sara if you couldn't protect your friends from those two maniacs?" Ranma asked.

"We didn't know what to expect from them," said Bella, "but now we've gotten ahead of them, so we can prepare a better defense," she paused, "Jasper's so much better at planning that I am."

Just then the sun came out from behind the clouds, illuminating the whole valley.

"Great balls of fire!" said a shocked and amazed Denise as she, Nate, Lance, David, Sara and Ranma gazed at Bella's dazzling diamond-like skin.

"Oh, this," said Bella as she saw her sparkling skin, "I guess I have some explaining to do."

"She's a vegetarian vampire," said Jacob in a nonchalant tone.

"Jake!" said an outraged Bella.

"What?" Jacob asked, "why shouldn't I tell them the truth," he looked at Sara and her friends, "she won't eat you, just animals."

"Well, I appreciate it," said Sara in an uncomfortable tone, "but the majority of my friends on this world are animals."

"That's right,' said David, while Nate nodded in agreement, "just because you don't suck human blood doesn't mean that you can go around eating the Little Ponies."

"They're our friends," said Lance, while Denise nodded in agreement, "almost like family."

"So if you even think about harming a single hair on any of the Little Ponies," said Sara as she summoned her Stand, a glowing white woman wearing Greek armor, "you'll have to answer to Crystal Star!" her stand took up a fighting stance, while the Stands of the others also took up offensive stances as well.

"And if that's not enough to deter you," said Sara as she took out her red, heart-shaped locket, "you'll taste the rainbow."

"You fixed that ol' Rainbow of Light thing?" Goofy asked.

"It's almost fixed," said Sara, "I followed the instructions in the book The King and Queen loaned to me, but there's still something missing, something that will truly make The Rainbow of Light whole again," she then looked at Bella, "but that still won't let you off the hook if you harm my friends."

"Bella isn't like that!" said Jacob, while his pack growled in agreement, "sure, she did drink human blood for a while, but she hasn't touched the stuff since becoming immortal."

"I've got it, Jake," said Bella.

"No, they shouldn't talk to you like that," insisted Jacob, "I explained to them that you're harmless and they're treating you like you're a monster."

"I am a monster, Jacob," said Bella, "a nice one, but still a monster," she looked at Sara and the others, "yes, I am a vampire, but I've never killed a human. And I would never harm any of the Little Ponies, their scents are too bright, too beautiful, too pure, to even consider harming."

"What do you mean?" Ranma asked.

"Well," said Bella, she then sniffed the air, "everything has a scent, and I mean everything; humans, animals, plants, grass, water, rocks, even glass. Vampires rely on their sense of smell more than the other senses, and when we hunt, the smell of blood can send us over the edge, especially if it's human blood.

"But my family is different from other vampires. We truly value human life and hunt only animals; predators if we can but deer and other herbivores will do. But the Llittle Ponies, or maybe it's just that the one we just met, that unicorn…"

"Galaxy," said Sara, "and if I know her, she'll be back with a lot of the others soon."

"Right," said Bella, "well, she didn't smell like a horse, or any other kind of animal. The best way I can describe it is like smelling a steak on a grill, then smelling a flower. Both are pleasing, but you wouldn't want to eat a flower. Yes, that's the best way to say it; Little Ponies, they smell good, really good, but are unappetizing. Oh, and just so you'll know, Jake here can turn into a wolf at will."

"Bella!" said Jacob in an insulted tone, "I was going to surprise them."

"You can turn into a wolf?" Ranma asked hesitantly, "like a werewolf?"

"Not a werewolf," said Jacob, "it's complicated, but I can assure you, if I bite you when I'm a wolf, you won't become one. You'd probably be dead from the bite, but you won't be one. Bells here, she'd turn you into a vampire if she bites you."

"Well, it's cool that you can change back and forth at will," said Ranma, "wish I had that power."

Just then one of the clouds released a single drop of water. It fell thousands of feet before finally hitting Ranma on the forehead, but the large cold drop was just enough to trigger his curse, turning him into a girl in a blink of an eye.

"Damn it!" snapped Ranma-chan, "it never fails!"

"Wow," said a stunned Jacob.

"Holy crow!" exclaimed Bella, "that was…shocking, in more ways than one."

"What do you mean? Ranma-chan asked.

"I saw you change," said Bella, "I saw it happen."

"I don't get it," said Lance, "sure, we all were a bit freaked out when we first saw Ranma become a girl…"

"You were more than freaked out," said Ranma-chan.

"It's true," said Denise, "me, when I saw the change, I nearly jumped up a tree out of fear, and again when we saw her change back into a he with hot water, but all in all there wasn't anything complicated about it."

"Well I saw a more complex change with my eyes," said Bella, "I saw every single cell in Ranma's body change, they were charged with some form of energy, magic I guess, then the cells became unstable masses of DNA, then resettled into something else."

"Is that what happens to me?" Ranma-chan asked, "I never thought about it that way."

"Never mind that," said Denise, "what about the vampire? Is she a threat to the Little Ponies?"

"She said she wasn't," said Jacob, "isn't that good enough for you?"

"Jake," said Bella.

"No, they shouldn't talk to you like this," said Jacob. He then glared at Nate, Denise, Lance and David, "I'm not going to stand here and let you insult my best friends."

"We're not insulting her," said Sara.

"Could have fooled me," said Jacob.

Just then Galaxy winked back with two more unicorn ponies; one with yellow skin, a yellow chartreuse and red mane, a yellow chartreuse tail and a white ribbon Cutie Mark. The other unicorn had aqua skin with a mane and tail that was blue, white and different shades of pink. Her Cutie Mark resembled a milkshake.

"You were right, Galaxy," said the unicorn with the ribbon Cutie Mark, whose name was Ribbon by the way, "they are strange for humans," she looked at Bella and Jacob, "both have great power, but are vastly different."

"They kinda smell finny," said the unicorn with the milkshake Cutie Mark, Fizzy, "the boy is like those wolves, and they're all rather nice, for wolves."

"You're not the least bit scared of the giant wolves?" Nate asked.

"No," said Fizzy, "they're not really wolves, they're too nice to be wolves."

At that Seth acted like he was laughing, while Quill and Embry grinned and Leah sighed in annoyance.

"But the girl," said Fizzy as she walked up to Bella, "she's really different, and really nice."

"Stay away from her!" snapped Denise, "that girl's a blood sucking freak!"

"I only kill animals that can't talk," said Bella. She bent down to look at Fizzy in the eye, "I'd break my back a thousand times over before I'd ever harm such beautiful creatures."

"Why thank you," said Galaxy, "and you're beautiful too."

Just then several Earth Ponies ran up to our heroes. The first one had white skin with a dark pink mane and tale. Her Cutie Mark was a green dove with red hearts. This was Truly.

The second Earth Pony had pink skin with a yellow mane and tail. Her Cutie Mark was shaped like a pair of sunglasses. This was Shady.

The third pony had light orange skin with an orange mane and tail. Her Cutie Mark was shaped like oranges and cherries. This was Cherries Jubilee.

Then from out of the sky came three Pegasus ponies. The first had pink skin with a red mane and tail. Her Cutie Mark was shaped like hearts. This was Heart Throb.

The second Pegasus pony had pink skin with a violet mane and tail was in the shape of a compass rose. This was North Star.

The third Pegasus pony had light blue skin with a light pink mane and tail. Her Cutie Mark was in the shape of whistles. This was Wind Whistler.

"We heard that there was something terrible coming, Sara," said North Star.

"And that Sora was back," said Cherries Jubilee.

"But where is he?" Wind Whistler asked, "I didn't get to meet him when he helped defeat the demons."

"Maybe he decided he didn't like us after all," said Shady in a depressed tone.

"Sora really wanted to come," said Goofy, "but, he can't."

"He's got…problems," said Donald, "big problems."

"Then tell us," said Sara, "what's wrong with Sora? And Riku."

"They lost their Keyblades," said Jacob, "that evil Kairi, Kiraxi, did something to them, something terrible."

"My husband, Edward is trying to help them," said Bella, "but for now it's just us."

"And now that Kairi biot and Pantyhose Taro are coming," said Ranma-chan, "just great."

"But how can we hope to stop those two maniacs if you couldn't stop him before?" Lance asked.

"We can only try," said Bella.

"Well, you're here now," said Sara, "and if you can tell us everything you can about them, we can come up with a plan."

"It's not a pretty story," said Jacob. He, Bella, Donald and Goofy took turns telling about the battles with Xorat and Kiraxi, with Quill, Embry, Seth and Leah adding details here and there. Of course, Jacob had to phase into his wolf form to hear them. That left Sara, her friends and the little ponies speechless for several seconds the first time they saw him.

Ranma, whom had a container of hot water with him so he changed back to male, was the only one not completely taken aback, "after all the crazy stuff I've seen in my world and on others, a man turning into a wolf isn't all that surprising to me."

"What about me?" Bella asked, "do I surprise you?"

"Lady, I've faced all kinds of supernatural baddies," said Ranma, "ghosts, demons, demigods, and a whole galaxy of weird martial art styles, but I figured them out, or figured out a way to beat them. I figure there's not much that I can't do, but if I can't get along with a vampire, then I guess that doesn't say much for me, now does it."

"I guess so," said Bella as she smiled and held out her hand, "friends?"

"Friends," said Ranma as he shook Bella's hand.

"A friend of Ranma is a friend of mine," said Sara, "especially if the friend is also a friend of Sora," she shook Bella's hand but gasped in surprise when she touched Bella's hand, "your skin, it's so cold."

"Yeah, that's normal for me," said Bella, "but Jacob, he's really hot, and I'm mean that as a friend."

Jacob, who by the had phased back to human and had his clothes on, blushed slightly, "that's not funny, Bells."

"I'm just trying to keep things friendly," said Bella.

"Aside from that," said Ranma, "I'm starting to get an idea on how we can fight those maniacs."

"I've got a few ideas that'll slow them down," said David, "and might just finish them."

"Then let's get busy," said Nate as he cracked his knuckles.

"I also have an idea of my own," said Jacob, "and it's crazy enough to work."

"Crazy works with me," said Ranma, "I wouldn't be alive if I hadn't done half the crazy stuff I've tone."

"Tell me about it," said Jacob.

"Later," said Ranma, "we've got work to do," he held out his hand, "friends?"

"Friends," said Jacob as he and Ranma shook hands.

"About this crazy of yours?" Sara asked.

"First of all," said Jacob, "Donald, Goofy, I need you and all of the Little Ponies to find someplace safe to hide."

"What!" exclaimed Donald.

"Why do we gotta hide?" Goofy asked.

"We can help," said Galaxy.

"These lunatics want to hurt Sara," said North Star, "we should all fight to protect our princess."

"No, Jacob's right," said Sara, "you shouldn't be involved."

"But we want to help," said Heart Throb.

"Even if it seems hopeless," said Shady.

"I'm not doubting it," said Sara, "but if these guys are if only half as insane and strong as Bella, Jacob, Donald and Goofy say they are, then not only will things get rough and bloody, but you guys could get hurt."

"Or worse, the enemy could take you hostage," said Jacob.

"Or maybe," said Bella as she looked like she just had a horrible flash of insight, "the enemy would intentionally seek out the Little Ponies, not just to take hostages, but to kill them."

"Why would they want to do that?" Fizzy asked, "we didn't do anything to them."

"They're villains," said Sara, "they don't need provocation to lash out at the innocent. Remember the witches of Mount Gloom?"

"Hydia, Rikka and Draggle," said Wind Whistler, "as if we could forget them."

"And Zabuchrion," said Lance, "not likely to forget that one, are you?"

"And what about Tirnac, remember him?" Denise asked, "and that psychopath, Shadowcast."

"Who's Shadowy Caster?" Goofy asked.

"I'll tell you later," said Nate.

"I want you to trust me on this," said Sara to the Little Ponies, "please, for your own safety, hide and stay hidden until it's over."

"But why do we have to hide with them?" Donald asked, "why do we have to hide with them?"

"Won't you need us in the fight?" Goofy asked.

"You'll be needed to keep the ponies safe if we can't stop those two lunatics," said Jacob, "if we fail to defeat Xorat and that fake Kairi, you two will be the last line of defense."

"Oh, that's how it is," said Donald, "Well, if that's what you need us for, then okay! We'll do it!"

"No problem," said Goofy, "if it's the right job for us, then we'll keep the Little Ponies safe and sound."

"I still say we can help," said North Star, "but, if it's what you want from us, we'll stay safe." At that the other little ponies nodded in agreement.

"Okay," said Sara. She then looked at Jacob, "now, what's this plan of yours?"

"Well," said Jacob, "it's like this…"

* * *

><p><strong>…New Hollow Bastion…<strong>

"Reporting for duty, oh mistress of all evil," said Xorat as he and Kiraxi walked into the dark throne room.

"Ready to snatch the next unsuspecting princess from her _oh so perfect life_, Mr. Graves," said Kiraxi.

"And I'm ready and rearing to pick the next target," said Gideon as he walked up to the images of the princesses, "so, who's it going to be?" he pointed first to the image of Miley, then to the one of Usagi, before finally settling on Sara, "this one, the one that the brats first found."

"No! not Sara!" shouted Kairi, "you stay away from her!"

"Oh, is there a reason why we should stay away from her?" Gideon asked in a mocking tone, "other than that she's a princess of heart?"

Kairi had a very good reason for the baddies to stay away from Sara, but she realized if Gideon and Maleficent were to find out, then it would make them want to go for it all the more.

"Could it be that this princess is a Stand User?" Maleficent asked in a tone that she knew all too well what Kairi was afraid they'd find out but delighted in seeing Kairi's torment all the same, "or that the one true love of the princess happens to be the arch nemesis of the human that Xorat used to be."

"Saotome!" exclaimed Xorat, "he's on the world of the next princess? Send me now, great and terrible Maleficent, that I may destroy the infidel freak that is Ranma Saotome! Sent me now so that I may rip his sordid soul from his cross-dressing body!"

"What's your problem?" Kiraxi asked in a curious tone, "what's making you blow a gasket all of a sudden?"

"I hate Ranma Saotome," said Xorat through gritted teeth, "I hate everything about that bisexual freak. I hated him when I had a heart, and now that I'm free of my heart, I hate him even more."

"I know why you don't want us to go after Sara Lancaster," said Gideon to Kairi, "it's because of all the Little Ponies there," he looked at Kiraxi and Xorat, "make sure you exterminate every pastel-colored freak that you see."

"Consider the mutants exterminated, Mr. Graves," said Kiraxi.

"No!" shouted Kairi, "you stay away from the Little Ponies! They're innocent!"

"All the more reason to destroy them," said Maleficent, "such disgusting creatures, the Little Ponies, so full of joy and happiness, it's revolting."

"Lord Kira would only be annoyed if such pathetic excuses for life forms were to still exist when he arrives," he looked at Xorat and Kiraxi, "you have your orders, go carry them out!"

"Go!' said Maleficent, "enact the will of the darkness!"

"We obey!" said both Kiraxi and Xorat. They summoned a Dark Corridor and walked through.

"You're not going to get away with this!" said Kairi, "just wait till Sora, Riku and Tess get their mojo back! They're going to…"

"By the time Sora and those other maggots pull themselves together," said Gideon, "assuming they even can, which they can't, it'll be too late!"

"Let the fools try," said Maleficent as she raised her staff and sent out a pulse of dark magic, "the time to end this futile struggle between light and darkness has come."

"What did you do?" Kairi asked.

"I've initiated the beginning of the end," said Maleficent. She then gestured to the floor where an image of the streets of The World that Never Was, appeared, "behold!"

Before Kairi's horrified eyes the streets of the dark city were quickly being flooded by Heartless and Nobodies in all shapes and sizes, "how can you control all those dark creatures?" Kairi asked, "last time you nearly lost yourself to the darkness."

"That was the past," said Maleficent, "another lifetime for myself. I have vastly improved since then. I have used my new life wisely in improving my control over the darkness, waiting for this right moment to assert my power over The Heartless. As for the Nobodies," she held up her staff, indicating the Uridium ring attached to the top, "I've been secretly augmenting this item, with some assistance from The Moogles, whose usefulness has earned them their lives. I now have the power to control legions of Heartless and Nobodies; I have but to speak it and they will do my every bidding. When the time is right, I will send out enough of the creatures to finally cover all the worlds in darkness!"

"You didn't tell me you had this kind of power," said a slightly disturbed and horrifically impressed Gideon.

"You didn't ask," said Maleficent, "and even if you did, I wouldn't have told you; you who believed himself stronger that I, that you could assert your will over me. Well think again, fool! Your so called Lord Kira may be the lord of darkness, but I am the Mistress of all Evil, and you will do best to remember it."

Gideon looked at the image of the city streets as they became choked with Heartless and Nobodies, "uh…yeah," he then looked at The Negotiator, "we need to have a conference, right now!"

"Yes, Mr. Graves," said The Negotiator. The two of them exited the throne room where Gideon set up an anti-eavesdropping spell, "how soon until all of the Evil Exes are revived? No, don't tell me, just get them all up and ready to fight by the time all the princesses are captured."

"But that's impossible, Mr. Graces," said The Negotiator, "we're still days away from resurrecting the six, and we're pushing the envelope as it is. If we try to bring them back any faster we could risk damaging them to the point where they won't be able to function properly."

"Well, find a way to bring them back quickly," said Gideon, "if things are as seriously out of our favor as I think they are, then we're going to need all the help we can get."

"What do you mean?" The Negotiator asked, "is it because of our losing control over Maleficent?"

"She's way beyond my control," said Gideon, "we seriously underestimated her prowess in controlling Heartless and Nobodies," he sighed, "I shouldn't have offered her all those Uridium items, especially the one that Maleficent has on her staff, but it's too late to get them back, not until Lord Kira gets here."

"Why's that, Mr. Graves?" The Negotiator asked.

"Did you forget so easily?" Gideon asked, "wait, of course you forgot, it was one of your predecessors who was there with me when Lord Kira first instructed me in creating the Uridium items. Lord Kira may be bound in Mu, but his influence spreads far and wide."

"But what are we going to do about Maleficent?" The Negotiator asked.

Gideon then strengthened the anti-eavesdropping spell, "we're going to kill her, you dolt! There's no way she's going to be top dog around here when Lord Kira arrives. I have to be the first one he sees when he returns from limbo, or else he'll think that it was Maleficent who freed him."

"Why's that?" The Negotiator asked.

"It just is!" snapped Gideon, "now figure out how to bring back the Evil Exes faster! Or I'll be in the market for a new demon clone!"

"Yes, Mr. Graves," said The Negotiator hastily. He then ran down the halls of the dark castle. It occurred to the pinstriped demon that maybe, just maybe, his master was insane and had always been so. But then, The Negotiator was merely an adjutant, and questioning his master just wasn't part of who he was.

* * *

><p>From their headquarters, the rebel Hakonians watched as the streets of the dark city became overrun with Heartless and Nobodies.<p>

"Things keep going from bad to worse," said Tylek Bladewraith, "there's too many of those things. Not even the gentry class of our people can control all of those Heartless," he looked at Falkon Everdark, "even if Pete and Hektor return in time with Reddik and Rakel, I doubt there's much they can do."

"Threre's plenty for them to do," said Falkon, "you'd be amazed what our people can do once properly motivated, and survival is the best motivation there is."

"But how can we do it?" Tylek asked, "stay alive in all of this madness."

"We can only do as best we can," said Falkon, "and trust that that idiot Pete isn't as big an idiot as he makes himself out to be."

* * *

><p>"So, are you guys gonna come back and save all of existence?" Pete asked.<p>

"Don't make a bigger idiot of yourself than you already are, Pete," said Rakel, "We're not done thinking yet."

"Just sit and spin for a while," said Reddik, "we'll get to you when we're ready."

"We don't have time for you to over think this," said Hektor.

"Well too bad," said Rakel, "this is our lives we're talking about, so just sit and wait."

"I knew I shouldn't have gotten out of bed that day," muttered Pete as he and Hektor sat down.

* * *

><p>The Dark Corridor opened up and from it exited Kiraxi and Xorat. They looked around in contempt at the pastoral setting that is Dream Valley and Paradise Estates.<p>

"What a disgusting world," said Xorat, "I can't wait to spread some chaos here."

"First thing's first," said Kiraxi, "we need to find that princess brat."

"I'm right here, you jerk!" snapped Sara as she stood at the bottom of the hill.

"Well how's that for an easy job," said Xorat, "the waif saves us the trouble of us having to look for her."

"And saves us the time to do other, more interesting things," said Kiraxi. She and Xorat then jumped down to the bottom of the hill and stood a few yards away from Sara, "things like torturing Little Ponies to death."

"You stay away from the ponies!" said Sara as she assumed a defensive posture, "they're innocent creatures who only want to enjoy the beauty of life."

"They're revolting little mutants who should be exterminated!" snapped Kiraxi.

"How would you know?" Sara asked, "you've never even seen one."

"But the great and terrible Maleficent has seen them," said Xorat, "and so did Gideon."

"And both Mr. Graves and Maleficent wants them destroyed," said Kiraxi, "and so do we. So why don't you save us the trouble of finding them and tell us where the little mutants are so we can exterminate them already."

Just then Bella appeared next to Sara, "the only one who's going to be exterminates is you creeps."

"Well look who it is," said Kiraxi, "one of the blood sucking freaks."

"How did you get here?" Xorat asked in a surprised yet uncaring tone.

"I walked," said Bella sarcastically.

"So did we!" said Jacob as he appeared behind Xorat and Kiraxi, while the four wolves took up positions around the two maniacs. At the same time Sara focused her mental powers, summoning her Stand, which took the form of a warrior woman wearing white Greek armor.

"So that's a Stand," said Xorat.

"Meet Crystal Star," said Sara, while Crystal Star assumed a fighting stance identical to Sara's.

"I'm not impressed," said Kiraxi as she summoned her dark Keyblade. "it doesn't matter, we're still going to get what we want."

"So where are the little mutants?" Xorat asked.

"Where you'll never find them!" shouted Jacob, "we had them hide long before you got here. They'll be safe while we take you maniacs down!"

"They weren't happy that they had to hide," said Sara, "but I told them that it was for their own safety. Don't even think about torturing us to find out where they are, because we don't know."

"It's true," said Bella, "one of the ponies, Wind Whistler, she had an idea where to hide and the others followed, and they didn't tell us."

"They're safe," said Sara as she glared at Xorat and Kiraxi, "and now it's just us, so get ready to die, maniacs!"

"You're delusional," said Kiraxi.

"And you're nothing like Kairi," said Sara, "Kairi helped me realize who I am as a Stand user and as a Princess of Heart. She's kind and generous, as well as brave and loyal, and a lot of other stuff, all and all making her an awesome friend. You're just a cheep, defective, ugly copy of a great and wonderful person."

"I'll have you know that it cost Mr. Graves millions in order to create me," said Kiraxi.

"I didn't know that," said Xorat.

"It's true," said Kiraxi, "Mr. Graves invested $5.7 million in order to bring me to life. So I'm not cheep, and I'm vastly superior to that pathetic loser whose DNA I was spawned from."

"If you think that Kairi is inferior," said Sara, "then you're definitely the inferior one."

"We're about to put all that money to waste," said Bella.

"What are you up to?" Kiraxi asked, "you're planning something, I know it."

"We already planned it," said Sara.

Just then the ground underneath he two villains shook and began to crack open. Kiraxi jumped out of the way, but Xorat was one second too slow to stop himself from falling into the sink hole. Just before he hit the ground, he saw a stone spike shooting up to impale him. He twisted to the side to avoid the spike, only to wind up getting speared through the arm and leg by two more spikes.

Kiraxi landed on the edge of the sink hole, "what is this!" she glared at Sara, Bella and Jacob, "what did you do?"

"We did nothing," said Sara, "but my friends did."

The air behind Sara and Bella rippled and there stood Denise, and David.

"Where did they come from?" Kiraxi demanded.

"The same place that Sara was born," said Denise, "but as to how we hid ourselves…"

"We used Air and Fire to create an illusion," said David, "a camouflage that completely fooled you, witch!" just then Denise' red phoenix and David's yellow dragon appeared next to them.

"More stand users?" Kiraxi asked.

"You'd better believe it," said David, "meet Topaz Skye!" at that his dragon Stand roared with rage.

"And meet Ruby Inferno!" said Denise, while her phoenix Stand screeched in fury.

"I'm not impressed," said Kiraxi, "your pets won't you any good! Xorat! Are you gonna sit in that pit all day or are going to get down to business?"

"Don't make fun of me!" snapped Xorat as he struggled to free himself from the spikes. He pulled himself from the spikes and was about to jump out of the sink hole, when all of a sudden the pit was filled with water up above his head.

"Now what?" Kiraxi asked.

"That would be the next part of the plan," said David as she and Denise focused their mental powers. Topaz Skye and Ruby Inferno looked to the left of Sara and the air in that area rippled, revealing Lance and Nate.

"I made that sinkhole and the spikes," said Lance as his green tiger appeared, "meet Green Temblor!" at that his tiger Stand roared in triumph.

"And I flooded the pit," said Nate as his blue turtle appeared, "meet Sapphire Torrent!" at that his Stand jumped and made a sound that a turtle would make, only fiercer.

But then Xorat jumped out of the pit. He landed next to Kiraxi, totally drenched, "I don't care who or what your pets are," said a very irate Xorat, "you brats are still going to die!"

Just then the air behind Sara rippled and there stood Ranma, "you're going to have to go through me first, Pantyhose Taro. Oh wait, that's not your name anymore."

At that Xorat's eyes blazed with unadulterated rage, "Saotome!" he snarled, "you're dead meat!"

"Of course I'm dead," said Ranma in a joking manner, "I just haven't stopped moving yet."

"I'm going to rip you to pieces!" snapped Xorat as he stalked towards Ranma.

"Hey! Remember the plan!" snapped Kiraxi.

"Screw the plan!" snapped Xorat, "I'm killing Ranma right now!"

"Not if I kill you first, you empty shell!" said Ranma as he walked away from Sara and the others, making sure that when he and Xorat faced each other, there was at least 50m of empty space between his friends and the two fighters.

"I'm talking to you, you stupid son of a bitch!" snapped Kiraxi, "we have a mission! The princess, remember?"

"You want the princess so badly, you get her," said Xorat, "this freak here is my opponent now."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," said a grinning Ranma as he and Xorat assumed fighting stances. There was a tense moment as the two faced each other, a sudden gust of wind blowing through the meadow.

But then the two of them rushed at each other, with Xorat howling in fury. Ranma on the other hand maintained his cool as the two rapidly approached each other. The met in the middle of the area in an explosion of moves, each punching and kicking so fast that they were barley more than a blur.

Sara and her fellow Stand users could follow the fight better with their Stand-enhanced senses, but not very well. Jacob and his pack weren't that much better off either.

But Bella, with her immortal eyes, could see every gritty detail of the fight and gave a blow by blow commentary, "Xorat just blocked Ranma, now Ranma blocked Xorat. Now they're exchanging punches, now kicks, block, chop, punch, kick, dodge, grab!"

"But who's winning?" Sara asked.

"No one," said Bella, "not yet anyway."

After a few minutes of such extreme fighting the two of them broke apart and stood several meters from each other. Both looked like they were ready to keep going, but Ranma looked like he had used slightly more energies than Xorat did.

"You've improved since our battle in Meridian, Saotome," said Xorat, "but you're still no match for me!"

"I'll admit," said Ranma, "you're also a lot stronger than before. But I'm not beat yet!"

"Don't make me laugh," said Xorat, "you have nothing that can defeat me! I am the stronger by far! Mine is the power! Mine!"

"You're only half the man you were," said Ranma, "being able to turn into a cross between a yeti, a bull, an eel, a crane and an octopus was the only real thing that made you so dangerous. Without that power you've got nothing!"

"HA!" snapped Xorat, "I no longer need to turn into a monster! I _am_ a monster!"

"You're a _nobody_," said Ranma, "and I mean that as an insult!"

"We'll see who's dishing out insults before this day is done!" snapped Xorat. He then shot a beam of crimson energy at Ranma, "take this!"

Ranma easily dodged the beam, but then Xorat began shooting beams and spheres of crimson energy at him so fast Ranma had to keep dodging.

"Oh, this isn't good at all," said Lance.

"It's worse if Ranma can't attack," said Nate.

Just then Kiraxi laughed cruelly, "face it, losers, your hero is doomed!" she seemed content to watching the fight, for the time being that is.

"You cannot beat me, Saotome!" snapped Xorat, "I am invincible!"

"You are stronger," said Ranma, "but not invincible!"

"I am invincible!" shouted Xorat.

"In that case," said Ranma as he smiled, "I'm going to have to go all out!"

"Then so will I!" said Xorat. With that the two of them rushed at each other again.

"Here I go!" shouted Ranma as he aimed for Xorat, "Saotome School Ultimate Technique!"

"Ultimate technique?" Xorat asked, "what trickery is this? It won't work! I'll still kill you!"

Ranma kept running at Xorat, whom had his fists raised to attack, but just before the two of them met, Ranma twisted around and crouched down, "ready! Set! RUN AWAY!" with that he took off for the nearby woods like a bat out of hell.

"What…? No!" shouted a confused and outraged Xorat, "there is no escape!" with that he ran after Ranma, "come back you transsexual coward!"

"That was Ranma's ultimate move?" a dumbfounded Jacob asked.

"The ultimate move of his family's style, yes," said Sara in a slightly embarrassed tone, "the 'Panicked Flight from the Enemy' technique. It's supposed to be used in order to make a fast getaway from your opponent in order to give yourself time to think of something else. But in this case, it reduced our troubles by half."

"So your freak of a boyfriend lured Xorat away," said Kiraxi, "it doesn't matter, I'm strong enough to take you all on in my sleep."

"In that case," said David, "we're going to have to send you into the big sleep!"

"Bring it!" said Nate.

"Gladly!" said Kiraxi. She held out her hand and sent out a wave of black fire.

David countered it by slashing at the air with his right hand. Topaz Skye mimicked the movement with his right foreclaw and sent a whirlwind out that blocked the black fire.

Kiraxi then held up both hands and shot out dozens of black fireballs. The fireballs rose up into the air and came down, heading straight for Bella, Sara and the others.

Lance bent down and slammed his hands into the ground. Green Temblor mimicked the movement by slamming his forepaws into the ground. Several chunks of dirt shot up into the air and intercepted the fireballs, extinguishing them.

Nate clapped his hands together horizontally and opened his hands like an animal opening its jaws. Sapphire Torrent opened his mouth and shot a large stream of water at Kiraxi with the force of ten fire hoses.

The vile biot dodged the blast of water, but then had to dodge several red fireballs shot from Ruby Inferno's gusting wings, while Denise waved her arms in a similar manner.

Kiraxi then rushed at Sara, her dark Keyblade raised to deliver a knockout blow. But Nate got in front of Sara and blocked the dark Keyblade with his forearm. He then aimed an elbow strike at Kiraxi, but she blocked it with her Keyblade.

Lance then rushed at Kiraxi and aimed several punches at her, punches that were more like claw swipes. Each movement was mimicked by Green Temblor, slashing at the vile biot with his claws, eventually striking Kiraxi on the arm, leaving four long cuts that dripped with black blood.

David then jumped into the air and aimed his hands at Kiraxi, while Topaz Skye shot a small tornado from his mouth. The whirlwind disoriented Kiraxi so that she didn't see Denise also leap into the air. She aimed her hands at the vile biot and Ruby Inferno shot a flamethrower attack that slightly burned Kiraxi.

Jacob then phased into wolf form and he and his pack rushed at Kiraxi, with Quill and Embry attacking from the right, Seth and Leah on the left and Jacob from the center. Kiraxi easily dodged their slashing claws and snapping jaws, then struck back, slashing at the wolves with her dark Keyblade. She soon had Quill, Embry, Seth and Leah on the ground, but Jacob rushed in and bit Kiraxi on the leg, nearly ripping it out.

But Kiraxi bashed Jacob on the head with her dark Keyblade, forcing him to let go.

"Furry bastard," said Kiraxi as her leg healed on its own, "I'm going to skin you alive."

"Not if I skin you first!" snapped Bella as she rushed in and tried to grab the vile biot, but Kiraxi dodged her and stuck back with a Keyblade blow to Bella's midsection that knocked her down. But soon Bella, Jacob and his pack were back on their feet, ready to keep fighting.

Sara then rushed in and threw a punch at the vile biot. Crystal Star's fist connected with Kiraxi's face, knocking her into the air. Sara then raised her leg up and brought her heel down hard. Crystal Star's heal bashed Kiraxi in the torso and slammed her into the ground.

"And that's how we do that in Dream Valley," said Nate.

"It's not over yet," said Bella, while Jacob growled in agreement.

"How right you are," said Kiraxi as she got up, her wounds healing before everyone's eyes, "we've just got started."

* * *

><p>Ranma kept running through the woods, leading Xorat further and further away from Sara and the others.<p>

"Stop running from me, Saotome!" shouted Xorat as he chased after his hated enemy, "I'm gonna rip you to pieces!"

"Now I know I don't want you to catch me!" said Ranma as he called after Xorat, "you couldn't beat me before, what makes you so sure you'll kill me now!"

"Because I'm better than I was before, Saotome!" shouted Xorat, "and now I'm better than you!"

Ranma then saw that they were approaching a clearing in the forest, _'we're far enough from the others,' _he thought, _'this is as good a place as any.' _He reached the clearing, did an about face and jumped at Xorat with his fists raised.

"Take this!" shouted Ranma, "_Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken_!" he then shot several hundred punches at the Nobody with enough speed to grab a chestnut out of an open fire without getting burned.

But Xorat blocked all of Ranma's punches, then retaliated with a fury of punches of his own. Ranma blocked Xorat's punches, but then had to dodge a fury of kicks as well.

"You're pathetic, Ranma Saotome!" shouted Xorat, "you can't beat me!"

"Yes I can!" shouted Ranma.

"No you can't!" shouted Xorat. He then summoned a water balloon and threw it at Ranma.

Ranma dodged the water balloon, "like I'm gonna fall for that one again!" he shouted. But what Ranma didn't know was that the water balloon was enchanted to act like a homing missile. The balloon turned around in midair and shot straight for the back of Ranma's head, bursting on impact and drenching him in ice cold water.

In the blink of an eye he morphed into his female form. "You evil bastard!" shouted a soaking wet Ranma-chan.

"Flattery will get you nowhere fast, freak!" snapped Xorat, "time to end you!" he then rushed at Ranma-chan, striking hard at her. Ranma-chan was slightly faster in her female from than she was as a boy, allowing her to block all of Xorat's punches and kicks, but the vile Nobody was striking with such force that Ranma-chan was still receiving damage.

But then Ranma-chan blinked at the wrong second, distracting her just long enough for Xorat to get in a devastating punch to the head, knocking her down and sending her skidding several yards away.

Xorat walked over to Ranma-chan and grabbed her by her pigtail and hoisted her up, leaving her suspended several inches off the ground.

"Any last words before I completely destroy you, freak?" Xorat viciously asked as he raised his fist for a killing blow.

"Yeah, I've got plenty to say," said Ranma-chan, "I'm no freak; I AM A MAN!" she then swung back like a pendulum, enduring the pain of her hair being pulled, then brought her legs forward and delivered a double kick to Xorat's midsection.

Xorat winced at the impact and doubled over, dropping Ranma-chan. She landed neatly, then delivered a Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken right to Xorat's face, knocking the vile Nobody down.

"Had enough?" Ranma-chan asked, "or are you thirsty for more?" She was hoping that Xorat would say no, for the furious beat down that she had just received had seriously drained her stamina. She had reserves of energy but needed a moment to catch her breath.

But then Xorat got back up, ready and willing to carry on the battle, "I feel like I've been through the desert. I thirst, alright; I'm thirsty for your blood!"

"Oh crap," said Ranma-chan. She then sighed, "well, looks like it's gonna be one of those days when," she then acted like she had seen something truly terrifying, "what the hell is that?" she exclaimed as she pointed at something behind Xorat.

"What?" Xorat asked as he looked behind, only to find nothing there. He turned back, but was too late to stop Ranma-chan from socking him right in the face, knocking him off balance long enough for Ranma-chan to jump up to a nearby tree branch.

"You miserable little whore!" snapped Xorat, "I'll kill you!"

"Catch me if you can!" said Ranma-chan. She then pulled down her left eyelid and stuck her tongue out at Xorat, then jumped to another tree branch and then another.

But then she realized that Xorat was right on her trail, "stop running from me, Saotome!" shouted the vile Nobody, "stop running so I can destroy you!"

"And I thought you were crazy as a human!" said Ranma-chan. She then saw ahead what she was hoping to run into, a small stream. She jumped down and stood in front of the water. "but now you're just plain nuts!"

"Die, freak!" shouted Xorat as he shot a beam of crimson energy at Ranma-chan. She dodged the beam, which hit the water. The resulting explosion boiled a sizable about of water that shot into the air. Ranma-chan jumped headlong into the scalding water and was instantly transformed back into Ranma.

"Alright," said Ranma, "now we're talking!"

"It doesn't matter what shape you take, freak!" said Xorat, "you're still going to die!"

"Bring it!" said Ranma-chan as the two of them rushed at each other again.

* * *

><p>With a snarl of rage, Jacob rushed at Kiraxi, with his pack on the flanks again, only this time with Bella waiting for a chance to move in.<p>

But Kiraxi held the wolves off, forcing them back again and again, while also keeping Bella away as well.

"Why persist?" Kiraxi asked after kicking Embry in the head, "this battle is futile! I cannot be beaten, so why fight! Just stand aside so I can take care of this bit of business, then I'll finish you all!"

"I'll finish you, you creep!" shouted Denise as she focused her energies, her body glowing with a bright red aura, while Ruby Inferno also glowed brightly. "Take this! Red Crossfire!"

Ruby Inferno shot a blast of fire at Kiraxi in the shape of a large ankh. Kiraxi tried to block the blast with her dark Keyblade, but the blast went past the Keyblade and hit her, knocking her down and burning her slightly.

David then glowed with a bright yellow aura, "have some of this! Yellow Cyclone!" Topaz Skye then shot a huge tornado at Kiraxi, launching her up into the air.

Nate glowed with a bright blue aura, "Blue Tsunami!" Sapphire Torrent shot a massive water blast at Kiraxi, hitting her just as she was starting to fall to the ground. The blast knocked her further away and she landed hard on the ground.

Lance glowed with a bright green aura, "Green Temblor!" Emerald Mountain then launched a massive earthquake at Kiraxi, knocking her into the air again.

"And here's the finisher!" shouted Sara as she glowed with a bright white aura, "White Barrage!" Crystal Star jumped into the air and began punching and kicking Kiraxi so fast, her hands were like blurs. After several seconds, Crystal Star finished her combo with a massive kick that sent Kiraxi crashing to the ground, producing a large cloud of dust on impact.

"And that's how we do that in Dream Valley," said Sara again as Crystal Star landed neatly next to her.

"Everyone alright?" Nate asked.

"Aside from a few scrapes and scratches,," said Bella, "I'm perfectly fine."

"A little tired over here," said Sara, "Stands can really tire you out."

The dust began to clear, revealing a Kiraxi-shaped crater in the ground.

"Is she finished now?" Lance asked.

Just then a huge black fire aura shot out from the crater. An enraged Kiraxi stood up, her whole body alit with her dark fire and her eyes blazing black.

"You!" she shouted at Bella, Jacob, his pack, Sara and her friends, "I have had enough of all of you!" she then crossed her arms and levitated into the air, condensing her dark energy into her hands.

"Look out!" said Bella as she reactivated her armor, "she's gonna blast us hard!"

"Not if we blast her first!" shouted Denise. She had Ruby Inferno blast Kiraxi with fireballs and flamethrower attacks, but the normal fire was deflected by Kiraxi's evil aura.

Nate and David then had their Stands shoot out water cannon blasts and tornades, but again Kiraxi's evil aura deflected the attacks. The same thing happened when Lance had Emerald Temblor launch several boulders at the vile biot.

"You're efforts are in vain!" shouted Kiraxi as she aimed her hands at Sara and the others, "get ready to burn!"

"Not this year!" said Sara as she took out her red heart-shaped locket that contained The Rainbow of Light, "time to taste the rainbow!" she opened the locket, releasing the stream of rainbow magic, just as Kiraxi unleashed massive blast of black fire.

The two opposing energies, light and dark, met in midair and canceled each other out in a massive explosion that knocked Sara and the others down, leaving only Bella, Jacob and his pack standing, and the wolves were highly disoriented from the blast. The Rainbow of Light, significantly reduced in power, albeit temporarily, retreated back to Sara's locket.

Sara and her friends tried to get up, but then Kiraxi, looking highly battered and bruised but still ready to dish out some pain, rushed in and punched Lance hard in the stomach. As he crumpled to the ground, Kiraxi delivered a hard elbow strike to Nate's face, followed by a kick to Denise's head, a kick to David's back.

The vile biot then rushed at Jacob and his pack and knocked them all out before they could react.

But then Bella got behind Kiraxi and grabbed the dark Keyblade out of the biot's hand.

"You're mine now!" said Bella as she tossed the black Keyblade over her shoulder with enough force to send it into orbit.

"That's what you think," said a viciously grinning Kiraxi. She held up her hand and summoned her black Keyblade back, then stabbed Bella in her midsection, "now you're mine!"

Either Bella felt no pain or ignored it out of sheer rage. Reguardless, she grabbed Kiraxi's arm and began crushing it.

"Let go!" snapped Kiraxi as she struggled to free herself, "Let me go!"

"Never!" snapped Bella. She then yanked Kiraxi closer, putting the vile biot close enough for Bella to grab Kiraxi by her hair. Bella pulled Kiraxi even closer and bit her on the neck.

The vile biot screamed in agony as vampire venom coursed through her veins. On pure adrenaline, she vanished her dark Keyblade and pushed Bella off of her. She then re-summoned her Keyblade and used it to stab Bella in the legs, tearing huge chunks out of her thighs and knocking her down.

She then stumbled about in pain, but was far from falling down, "lucky that Mr. Graves made me immune to vampire venom," she said, "but it still huts like a son of a bitch!"

Sara, seeing that this was now or never, was about to open the locket, releasing The Rainbow of Light again.

"Oh no you don't!" snapped Kiraxi. Ignoring the raging inferno coursing through her body, she rushed over to Sara and grabbed Sara her left wrist and crushed it, while also breaking her right leg in the process. Sara crumpled to the ground, screaming in agony.

Kiraxi then stood there for a few seconds, breathing heavily in pain and mild exhaustion, "that took more out of me than I thought," she paused in contemplation, "looks like I won't be able to exterminate some little ponies today."

She grabbed Sara by her uninjured leg and dragged her towards a summoned Dark Corridor. Kiraxi glared at Bella, Jacob and the others, "I'll kill you all later, but for now I need to get this little bitch back to Mr. Graves. It's been real." With that she dragged Sara into the Dark Corridor, which vanished after them.

By then Jacob and his pack recovered enough to stand up. Jacob phased back to his human form and ran over to Bella, who was starting to get up herself, "Bella!" he shouted, "are…are you alright?"

Bella looked down at the hole in her stomach and the huge chunks taken out of her legs, "nothing a long vacation in the Caribbean wouldn't cure."

* * *

><p>After several minutes of brutal fighting, Ranma and Xorat were reduced to simply throwing punches at each other as hard as they could; no style, no techniques, just two bitter enemies out to destroy each other.<p>

But then Xorat sensed the opening and closing of a Dark Corridor. He then jumped away from Ranma, who was in the middle of throwing a punch. Ranma overbalanced and fell flat on his face.

"I'd love to stay and render you into pulp, Saotome," said Xorat, "but I'm not feeling 100% right about now." Indeed, he looked like had been through several martial tournaments and received the worst of it. Ranma also looked highly roughed up, but also looked like he could keep going.

"What's the matter, Pantyhose Taro?" Ranma asked, "afraid to break a nail?"

"I ought to ask you that, you freak!" snapped Xorat, "and I'll pay you back for it, next time!"

"Why? You got a train to catch?" Ranma asked.

"No," said a viciously grinning Xorat, "just a princess to deliver."

Ranma then realized that he couldn't sense Sara anymore, "no," he said in a disbelieving tone, "it can't be!"

"Oh it's true alright," said Xorat, "we've got what we came here for. I admit that I wish we could do more, but we've completed our primary objective," he then summoned a Dark Corridor, "so enjoy what little time you've got left, for the next time we meet, I will destroy you!" With that he walked into the Dark Corridor and it vanished after him.

"No!" shouted Ranma. He ran back to where he left Sara and the others as fast as he could. He got back to the meadow just as Jacob and Bella were helping David, Lance, Nate and Denise pick themselves up.

"Where's Sara?" Ranma demanded as he skidded to a halt next to them.

"She's gone," said a distraught Denise, "that horrible creature took her."

"That's the second time those lunatics beat us," said Jacob, "I'm getting sick of it."

"So am I," said Bella.

"We can't let those things get away with this," said Lance.

"They may have gotten Sara," said Nate, "but they won't have her for long."

"We're going to get her back," said David, "somehow we're going to save her."

"Oh, we're going to get her back, alright," said an enraged Ranma, "we're going to do more than that. We're going to tear the enemy apart when we rescue Sara," he then raised his head and shouted to the heavens, "you hear me, Xorat! I'm gonna rip you to pieces for this!"

* * *

><p>Xorat suddenly sneezed as he met up with Kiraxi in the corridors of New Hollow Bastion, "I'll wager real gold that Saotome is talking about me," he said.<p>

"How mad do you think he is?" Kiraxi asked.

"Made enough to do something really stupid," said Xorat, "he's gonna try and come after me, no doubt, and when he does, that's when I'll finish him off once and for all."

"The only one who's going to be finished is you, jerk!" snapped Sara, "As soon as Ranma finds you, he's going to rip you to pieces for this."

"He can try," said Kiraxi, "now, let's toss you in with the rest of the garbage." She then dragged Sara down the corridors to the dungeon.

* * *

><p>"And that makes four," said Gideon as they watched Sara's rough mistreatment at the hands of Kiraxi and Xorat.<p>

"Over halfway to the goal of all seven," said Maleficent as she marked off the image of Sara with a red X. "now, which of the remaining princesses will be taken next, I wonder."

Gideon then glared at Kairi, "still having trouble coming up with snappy comebacks? Or have you finally given up and resigned yourself to your ultimate doom?"

"I was just thinking," Kairi said seriously, "how that each time you send Xorat and my evil twin out to do your dirty work, they come back damaged. Yes, I know they come back successfully, wish they didn't, but they get hurt with each battle and need time to heal after coming back here."

"So what?" Gideon asked, "so they get roughed up a bit, that's the risk you take when you deal with the darkness. They always bounce back, ready to deal out more wickedness."

"My point is that they're not invincible," said Kairi, "nor are they perfect. You sent them to Dream Valley to kill all the Little Ponies. They didn't even bother to go looking for them."

"They accomplished the more important aspect of their mission," said Maleficent, "when the time comes all lose ends will be tied up."

"That still doesn't make your minions perfect," said Kairi, "case in point, they didn't kill Tess, any of Sara's friends or Ranma. Now you've got more angry heroes out to come hear and tear you off your high horses."

"Let them come!" said Gideon, "the more the merrier, and the bigger welcoming party for Lord. Kira's return," he glared down at Kairi, "so just sit back and let your life drain away, and hope that you'll live long enough to see all of your friends die," he then looked at Maleficent, "assuming you can still control this huge horde of Heartless you're creating."

"The creatures will all be under my control," said Maleficent as she summoned an image of the throngs of Heartless choking the streets of the dark city, "when the foolish heroes arrive, they will receive far more than they bargained for."

* * *

><p>"And that's pretty much for us," said Lyra. She and Nessie had just finished telling their stories to Violet, whom had been listening in rapt attention.<p>

"You guys ought to write a book about yourselves," said Violet.

"That's not a bad idea," said Nessie, "assuming we live to tell the tale. But enough about us, Violet, what about you? How did you wind up in this fine mess?"

"That's another long story," said Violet, "a lot of it is personal, so I'll keep it short. I'm a second generation Super. My mom's Elastawoman, dad's Mr. Incredible, my brother is Speed Star, and I'm Shielda," her face then looked annoyed, "although there's still a lot of people, both civilian and in the media, whom keep calling me Incredigirl, and my brother Incrediboy," she shuddered, "as I needed a reason to remember Syndrome.

"Anyway, just after my folks got married, the government passed a law outlawing supers. They all had to go into hiding and live normal lives, as if having super powers could make things normal.

"To make that part short, I was born with the ability to project force fields and to become invisible, and I did my best to keep those powers a secret, and did a very good job of it.

"But even with supers outlawed, super vilians still existed, including one of the most evil me ever to exist on my world; Syndrome, a mad genius hellbent of destroying al supers, then setting himself up as a super himself. Well, to say the least, my mom and dad came out of retirement to fight him, while Dash and I learned how to use our powers to fight evil, and together we defeated Syndrome.

"Then we had to defeat a new breed of villains, one of the worst being The Underminer. Then I wound up defeating a gang of homegrown terrorists who took the local mall hostage. That's when I decided that I wanted to be more of my own super, if only to get everyone to stop calling me Incredigirl.

"I had my suit altered so I would stand out, be a more unique super, while at the same time I was made the unofficial leader of a group of new supers, kids like me whom developed powers. We trained together, fought evil together, and lead normal lives together. The biggest problem was helping them keep their powers and hero identities a secret from the world, but we managed, and for a while things seemed to be going great.

"But then those two maniacs showed up on my world and made me and my family look like amateurs," she sighed, "and here I am, stuck on a dark world about to be sacrificed to some dark god."

"Let me tell you something," said Nessie, "first of all, you're no armature. I can tell that you are a hero, through and through, and even though I haven't met them, your parents and brother are heroes too."

"Even Dash?" Violet asked, "he's still a pain."

"Well he's a your little brother," said Nessie, "they're supposed to be pains in the neck."

"I thought you were an only child," said Lyra.

"I am," said Nessie, "but some of my friends have younger siblings and know how much of a pain they can be." She then heard footsteps coming towards them from down the hallway," and speaking of which, our favorite pains in the ass are coming."

She, Lyra and Violet then saw Xorat and Kiraxi dragging Sara towards the cell. "Here's another roommate for you losers!" shouted Kiraxi as Xorat deactivated the force field around the cell. She then tossed Sara into the cell and turned the force field back on, "we'll be back with another soon."

"Just as soon as we rejuvenate ourselves," said Xorat to Kiraxi in a hushed tone, "Saotome was right, he has improved. I'd rather not go up against him any time soon, not until I'm back up to 100%."

"I'll admit that those Stand users pack a punch," said Kiraxi, "we'll finish them off when we're recharged."

"I'm with you on that," said Xorat as the two of them walked up the corridor away from the cell and headed to the rejuvenation room.

"Jerks!" snapped Sara as she struggled to pull herself up with her good hand and stand on her good leg. She then looked around and saw Nessie, Violet and Lyra.

"Let me guess," said Nessie, "you're Sara Lancaster."

"And you're the other princesses," said Sara as she hobbled over to an empty cot.

"Well, three of them," said Lyra.

"What happened to you?" Violet asked, "get run over by a train?"

"Those two maniacs thought they could kill my friends," said Sara. She winced at the pain in her arm and leg, "I wish I could have done more to stop them, but at least my friends, the Little Ponies, they're safe," she sighed, "I just hope that Ranma is okay too."

"Oh, the boy who can turn into a girl," said Lyra as she took out her Alethiometer, "just give me a second and I'll find out if he's alright," she asked the question and went into her trance for a few seconds, then looked up, "he's fine, madder than a wet hen, but fine."

"At least he's alright," said Sara as she sighed with relief, "and so are my friends and Bella and Jacob."

"My mom and Jacob were there?" Nessie asked, "what happened to them?"

"And what about Sora, Riku, Tess and the others?" Lyra asked.

"I didn't see them," said Sara. She then winced at her broken bones again, "and Bella and Jacob, they weren't doing so good, but were recovering the last time I saw them," she winced yet again.

"Hang on, I'll take care of those," said Nessie as she sat next to Sara. She then cast a Heal spell that mended Sara's broken bones in a flash.

"That's incredible," said Sara as she moved her arm and leg about, "good as new."

"I aim to please," said Nessie. She then sat back and sighed as if having just exhorted herself, "whoa, that seriously drained me."

"Are you alright?" Lyra asked.

"Just tired, that's all," said Nessie.

"Aren't you supposed to be half vampire or something?" Sara asked.

"I am half immortal," said Nessie, "but the baddies set up this cell so that it drains our powers."

"It's true," said Violet as she went transparent, "I can become completely invisible, and make force fields, but not since they stuck me in here with this peanut gallery."

Sara then tried to bring out Crystal Star and found that she couldn't. She then saw a water glass and tried to levitate it, but could only manage to tip it over, "you're right, we're almost powerless."

"We're only powerless if we give up," said Nessie, "but seriously, we are in trouble. We've got to find what's draining our powers, before things get serious."

"That's what we've been trying to do," said Violet, "but we've gone over this dang dungeon a dozen times."

"Then we should go over it again," said Nessie, "and again and again, until we find out how they're putting the whammy on us."

"We've got one thing on the enemy," said Lyra as she held up the Alethiometer, "they didn't take this from me."

Sara then felt in her pocket and took out the locket, "and they didn't take this."

"What's that?" Violet asked, "does it have your boyfriend's picture in it?"

"No," said Sara, "but that's not a bad idea. I should have Ranma's picture with me. But this is more precious," she opened the locket and from it emerged a small but definite Rainbow of Light. The miniaturized stream of rainbow magic flew around the room a bit before settling back into the locket.

"Wow," said an amazed Lyra, "that's beautiful."

"It is," said Sara, "but it's also reduced in power, and just when I thought I had it fully restored."

"Sora did talk about his friend from another world," said Lyra, "a world full of talking ponies and dragons."

"Spike," said Sara, "what else did Sora tell about me?"

"He said that you and your friends were meant to keep your world safe," said Lyra, "that you fought with Sora and the others against a powerful demon, Zabuchrion, and that you were trying to restore The Rainbow of Light."

"That's the jest of it," said Sara, "and more than that, I've fallen in love with a very interesting man, Ranma Saotome."

"Oh, Sora definitely talked about him," said Lyra, "a really strong martial artist with a very unusual curse on him."

"Cold water turns him into a girl," said Sara, "and hot water turns him back. I'm totally okay with that, and so are my friends, both human, little pony and dragon. Anyway, Ranma has been a great help, considering what's been happening in Dream Valley recently.

"After I introduced Ranma to my friends, we started work on restoring The Rainbow of Light to full power. King Mickey loaned us a book on magic, and it told me a great deal about The Rainbow of Light, especially the part about how to fix it. It involved receiving the blessing from The Elements of Harmony, and for that we had to take a bit of a road trip.

"We left Dream Valley and journeyed to the kingdom of Equestria, where we met Priness Celestia, a unipeg of incredible magical power. She pointed us to Ponyvile, where her best student, Twilight Sparkle, lived with her friends. They were the keepers of The Elements of Harmony.

"Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter and Magic, these combine with the power of friendship to create an incredible magical force. Twilight Sparkle and her friends were more than happy to help us.

"But then we had a run-in with an old enemy of the little ponies, the witches of Mount Gloom, whom plotted with another group of demons to destroy the world.

"To make a long story short, my friends and I combined our powers, along with Ranma's abilities, to drive away these demons and save the world. Afterwards, Twilight Sparkle and her friends used The Elements of Harmony on The Rainbow of Light. But then, nothing happened."

"What do you mean nothing happened?" Violet asked.

"That's what I meant," said Sara, "nothing happened we did everything right, but then it didn't work, at least I think it didn't work. I did everything according to the book," she pulled out a piece of paper, a copy of the spell from the book that King Mickey loaned to her, "the ritual said that I wasn't supposed to know about the next part until after the part with the Elements of Harmony, but when I read the next part it really confused me," she opened the paper, "it says that I need to find the rainbow within, and that's it."

"The rainbow within," said Lyra.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Violet asked.

"I have absolutely no idea," said Sara, "I thought it had something to do with me being a princess of heart, but I couldn't think of what I was supposed to do. I was about to go talk to The Moochick, when all hell broke lose."

"Well, I have absolutely no idea what this rainbow within is supposed to be either," said Nessie, "I remember everything that I've seen, done and read, and I've never heard of it, not even in passing."

"The Alethiometer doesn't know what it is either," said Lyra, "at least I don't think it does. The answer is really confusing. It says to look within, whatever that means."

"We'll worry about that later," said Violet, "first thing's first, figuring out how to get out of here."

"Alright," said Sara as she got up, "let's see what this cell has to offer." With that she and the others looked over the walls of the cell again.

* * *

><p><strong>…The Old Mansion…Twilight Town…<strong>

"Hypno-therapy?" Riku asked cautiously, "I don't know about that."

"We've been trying to learn what has caused you three to repress the painful memories," said Edward, "we've tried simply talking about it, then word-association, and just now the Rorshcach test, which our gracious host provided for us."

"I aim to please," said Young Watari as he sat to the side, watching the therapy session.

"I doubt that looking at ink blots can cure them," Riku, "not those two anyway," he indicated Sora and Tess, whom were debating the nature of some of the ink blot cards that Edward showed them.

"This one looks like two people doing some kind of dance," said Sora, "and this one looks like an animal skin rug."

"It's more like some kind of mutant bat," said Tess as she turned the picture upside down. She then looked at another picture, "so does this one."

"No, it's a moth," said Sora as he looked at the picture, "or a butterfly."

"I'm telling you it's a bat," siad Tess.

"How is it a bat?" Sora asked.

"It is if it's one moving away from you," said Tess, "you have to think outside the box."

"I'm telling you, it's a moth," said Sora, "no way is that a bat."

"Tilt your head," said Tess.

Sora angled his head slightly, "oh yeah, it is a bat," he then looked at the last three cards of the test, "but I have no idea what these are supposed to be."

"Why are they in color when the first seven cards are black and white?" Tess asked.

"Truth be told," said Young Watari, "I have no idea why they are in color."

"Could you just put those things away already?" Riku asked, "they're not helping us."

"And getting hypnotized will?" Tess asked, "I certainly can't be hypnotized."

"How would you know?" Riku asked, "has anyone ever tried to hypnotize you?"

"No," said Tess, "but I'm not the kind to have the wool pulled over my eyes, my instincts are too sharp."

"In that case you'll be the first one I attempt to put in a trance," said Edward, "now do sit down and relax."

"Okay," said Tess hesitantly as she sat in one of the white chairs and tried to get comfortable, "but I seriously doubt this will work."

"I'll be the judge of that," said Edward, "now, start by close your eyes and take a few deep breaths."

Tess complied, closing her eyes and breathing deeply.

"Now imagine yourself in the threshold of a house. You're looking out onto a large field of grass with a flagstone path that stretches onward into infinity. See yourself stepping onto the first flagstone."

"Alright, I'm on the first stone," said Tess.

"Now take another step," said Edward, "and another and another. You hear the wind rustling the grass. Somewhere a bird is singing."

"It is kinda relaxing," said Tess in a more calm tone.

"You keep walking on the path," said Edward, "further and further on, and on, and on and on…."

By then Tess had tilted her head down and was breathing slow and regularly.

"Did it work?" Sora whispered.

"We shall soon see," whispered Edward. He then spoke normally, "Tess, can you hear me?"

"Yes," said Tess in a neutral tone, her eyes still closed.

"Do you know who I am?" Edward asked.

"Edward Cullen," said Tess, "Nessie's father."

"Tess," said Edward, "when I count to three and clap my hands, you'll wake up, and you will remember what we talked about, all of it. Do you understand?"

"Yes," said Tess.

"Do you remember the battle with the faux Kairi?"

"Yes," said Tess, "we were trying to protect Nessie and Lyra from Kiraxi. We failed."

"Can you tell me exactly what happened to you when you fought Kiraxi?" Edward asked.

"We crossed Keyblades," said Tess, "she then set her Keyblade afire with black flames, and…they broke by Keyblade."

"We know this already," said Riku, "I was there when it happened."

"Try not to talk to her," whispered Edward, "hearing more than one person might confuse her," he then spoke normally, "now Tess, what do you remember when the fake Kairi broke your Keyblade? Is there anything that you couldn't remember before?"

At that Tess tensed up as if what she was trying to remember was very uncomfortable, "I…I remember the black fire, burning…burning into me."

"It didn't burn us," said Riku, "our armor protected us."

"I sure didn't get burned," said Sora.

"No," said Tess in a voice that was heavy with anxiety, "not burned, burned in heart, burned away…brought back…"

"What does that mean, Tess?" Edward asked.

"What's she thinking about?" Riku asked.

"She's trying to remember something in her subconscious," said Edward, "I believe it's a memory, a repressed memory that the fight brought out. Her inner mind has connected the fight with that repressed memory. Tess, I want you to tell us what you're trying to remember. What did the black fire burn away that's in your heart?"

"No," said Tess, "not burn away, not destroy. Burned anew," her faced creased with painful frustration, "burned into the open…Papa, don't…don't let…"

"She's remembering her father," said Edward, "who was tortured alongside her."

"Alright, that's enough," said Riku in concerned tone, "this is something she shouldn't have to relive. Wake her up, Edward."

"What's going on?" Sora asked.

"The blocked memory must have something to do with when Tess was at the mercy of Phobos' torture masters," said Young Watari, "I've done my homework on you Keyblade Wielders, but exactly what the memory is, not even my research could tell me."

"No!" said Tess in a more frightened tone, "Papa! Why didn't you tell me!"

"What is it, Tess?" Edward asked, "what didn't your father tell you?"

"He…told me…" said Tess, her face twisted with emotional anguish, "that he's not my real father…that he found me as a baby on his doorstep."

"You were adopted?" Riku asked.

"There was…a note," said Tess, "a letter that said to…destroy it after reading. The letter, it said…it said that I was from another world, a world where…many people have special abilities, but that I was in…danger and had to be taken somewhere else. That's all it said.

"Then…footsteps in the corridor! Them! The horrible men! No! Don't let them take me, Papa! Help me, Papa! Don't let them hurt me! Help me, Papa! Papa!"

"Tess!" shouted Riku as he rushed over to her as she started screaming in terror.

"Wake her up already!" snapped Sora to Edward.

"Yes, for the love of god, Edward!" said Young Watari, "end this now!"

"One, two three!" said Edward, then clapped his hands.

Tess stopped screaming as she opened her eyes. She blinked several times in confusion, but then saw Riku. Without a word she embraced him and began crying onto his shoulder. Riku placed his arms around her in a comforting manner.

"Now I understand," said Edward, "the block in Tess' mind, the painful memory, it was the last time she spoke with her father. The last words she heard from her father was that telling her that he wasn't her father."

By then Tess had calmed down enough to talk, "they came for me then, to torture and ravage me again. That's when I went invisible for the first time, and they took my father in my place, and I never saw him again," she began sobbing onto Riku's shoulder again.

"It's going to be alright, Tess," said Riku, "you're going to be alright."

"No I'm not," said Tess, "my whole life has been a lie! My father isn't my father, and my world isn't even my world! I don't know who I am anymore!"

Riku then held Tess in front of her and looked at her in the eyes, "you are Tess Thatcher, a hero of the rebellion against Phobos."

"I'm a murdering psychopath, that's what I am," cried Tess.

"I won't accept that anymore," said Riku, "you are not a psychopath. Otherwise, you would have killed me that time you held your father's razor to my throat. And you wouldn't have helped us free Elyon from Phobo's control."

"Well, yeah, I did that," said Tess, "but what I did was really crazy."

"Yes, that was a little overboard," said Edward, "stripping naked and showing everyone your scars."

"You stay out of my head!" snapped Tess.

"But you are a little crazy," said Riku, "and that's just the way I like you."

"You really do like me?" Tess asked.

"I liked you the second I first laid eyes on you," said Riku, "even when you nearly cut my throat. And I like you even though you were adopted. And if you want, I'll help you figure out who you really are and where you really came from."

"You'd do that for a messed up castaway like me?" Tess asked.

"I'd do anything for you," said Riku, "I…I love you, Tess."

At that Tess stated crying again, but now with joy, "I love you too, Riku!" with that she threw her arms around Riku and kissed him and he kissed back.

"Uh, well…" said Sora, "this was…unexpected."

"You really know how to spoil the mood, Sora," said Riku.

"Why did you ever become friends with him?" Tess asked.

"Sora actually saved Riku from drowning when they were much younger," said Edward, "Riku fell off the Paupu tree and hit his head on the ledge of the small island and fell into the water. Sora jumped in and pulled Riku to the beach. This was when Riku was 5 and Sora was 4."

"Stay out of my head!" shouted both Sora and Riku.

"Regardless," said Edward, "assuming that all has worked, I believe it is time to see if Tess can summon her Keyblade."

"Oh, okay," said Tess. She stood up, while Riku placed an assuring hand on her shoulder.

"You can do this," said Riku, "I believe in you."

"So do I," said Sora, "you're awesome, Tess."

Tess nodded, then closed her eyes in concentration and held out her hand. After a few tense seconds, her Keyblade flashed into her hand.

"I did it!" said Tess joyfully, "I've got my Keyblade back!"

"You never lost it," said Edward, "it was there all along, you just needed to find yourself."

"So that painful memory in Tess's past was keeping her Keyblade from coming back," said Sora, "but what about me? What do I got in my head that's so painful?"

"And me," said Riku, "what horrible memory in my subconscious is holding me back?"

"That's what I intend to find out," said Edward.

* * *

><p><strong>…Somewhere in Time and Space…<strong>

"Is it normal for you to try to go someplace and wind up somewhere else?" Aiden asked The Doctor as they, Amy and Rory Pond, looked up at the dark buildings of the futuristic metropolis the had arrived in, "that happened to me and my friends for a while, but we got over it."

"Well, truth be told," said The Doctor, "The TARDIS does need a full crew of six persons in order to properly navigate it through time and space, at least a Type 40 does."

"And how often do you travel with a full crew?" Aiden asked.

"Not that often, actually," said The Doctor, "makes things a bit more exciting."

"Uh-huh, yeah," said Aiden. He then looked at Amy and Rory, "can I talk to you for a second in private?" he walked over to the two of them and they walked a ways from The Doctor, "is this guy totally nuts or something?"

"I wonder that myself sometimes," said Rory, "more often than not."

"But he's never really gotten us in trouble," said Amy, "not seriously. I mean, we wouldn't be here if we never got out of a tight spot."

"Yeah," said Aiden. He then walked back to The Doctor, "look, I don't know why your crazy time ship brought us here, wherever ever this place is."

"Don't forget about 'whenever,'" said The Doctor.

"Right, that too," said Aiden, "but we don't have time to be mucking around in time and space, at least I don't. My friends need me. The longer I'm away, the worst off Sora and the others will be."

"I know that," said The Doctor, "but The TARDIS has never brought me nowhere without a purpose. Wherever and whoever we're at, we're here for a reason."

"And what reason would that be?" Aiden asked in a frustrated tone, "what could possibly be more important that saving an entire multiverse from the darkness?"

"I can think of one good reason for being here," said The Doctor, ignoring the uniformed gunmen, "but let me ask you a question, Aiden Mackenzie," he pointed at the dark metropolis, "what do you see here?"

"I see a place that my friends aren't at," said Aiden.

"Aside from that," said The Doctor, "take a good look at your surroundings. Notice anything that seems off? Do you see anything that arouses your suspicions? Anything that seems not quite right with your sense of morality?"

Sighing with reluctance, Aiden looked around at the dark buildings and up at the multiple lanes of flying cars. Sure enough he saw things that didn't seem quite right; quite a few of the flying cars bore a slightly disturbing resemblance to military transports, while others looked like police cars. Also, at strategic positions along the buildings at regular different heights were security cameras, far too many for such a small area of the city that the travelers were in. Also, the buildings had holographic projectors that displayed advertisements, news stories and other programs along the walls, turning half the city in giant, high definition television screens. All the words on the screens were in a language Aiden couldn't understand, while the words spoken on the screens were also one that he couldn't make any sense of.

Aiden then noticed that the sidewalks of the street that the alley in which The TARDIS had arrived in was full of people, all wearing black cloaks or suits. Quite a few of the people wore police uniforms, while others wore military uniforms, both groups carried energy blasters. The rest of the people were civilians. A handful wore elaborately crafted robes adorned with gold, diamonds and other expensive baubles. Some of these high class people were in hover cars that floated above the street. Also in the streets were more police cars and military transports.

But it was the rest of the civilians, whom vastly outnumbered the high-class ones, the police and military personnel. These were most likely the lower classes, and all of them walked around with expressions of contentment, as if they had nothing to worry about, but their eyes betrayed a look of hopeless despair in their eyes, a look of those too downtrodden to do anything about their situation.

"You're right," said Aiden, "There is a reason why we're here." He had seen this before, on Metamore. Here was another world that was under the grip of a tyrannical regime where a select few enjoy absolute power and authority over the lesser masses, one that has all but crushed all hope of freedom and justice in the minds and hearts of the common people.

"Well," said Aiden, "I helped take down one tyrant, I might as well take down another," he then looked at The Doctor, "but that still doesn't let you off the hook. You said that you would take me back to my friends. Now this time machine of yours, can it get me back to my friend in time before it's too late to save them?"

"Absolutely," said The Doctor, "I can't guarantee that you'll get back to exactly when you want to be, and maybe not exactly where, but when and where we do wind up, it'll be exactly when we're needed."

"More likely we'll get you back to your friend at the last possible second," said Rory.

"But we'll get you there," said Amy, "sooner or later."

"I just hope it's sooner than later," said Aiden. He then pressed his wrists, "alright, let's do this."

"Outstanding!" said The Doctor. The four travelers then left the alley and walked onto the main sidewalk of the street, blending in with the pedestrians, more or less.

"What about The TARDIS?" Aiden asked, "won't someone think it's odd that a big blue box shows up out of nowhere in the middle of a nearly all black city?"

"Normally yes," said The Doctor, "but The TARDIS has a perception filter on her. If anyone walks by and sees her, they'd just think it's a big blue box and walk on by without giving it a second thought. It doesn't always work, sometimes The TARDIS gets captured, but she's got other defenses," he held up a bright silver key, "once locked, not even The Daleks, Cybermen and Sontarians could get through the door, and believe me, they've tried."

"Right," said Aiden. He then looked up at the holographic billboards and news items on the walls of the buildings, "I'd be more comfortable if I knew where we were, even more so if I could understand what everyone was saying."

"You don't know what everyone's saying?" Amy asked. She looked at The Doctor, "I thought The TARDIS would take care of that for Aiden. We can understand what he's saying."

"I thought you were speaking my language," said Aiden.

"We're hearting you speak English," said Rory, "but you're still talking in your language."

"The TARIDS has this thing where she automatically translates the language of wherever the crew winds up," said The Doctor, "we go to Pompeii, we hear the Romans speak English, they hear us speak Latin. We go to Castrovalva, we hear them speak English, they hear us speaking Castrovalvian, although that wasn't a real place, just an illusion, not one of my more enjoyable adventures come to think of it."

Just then Aiden had a slight headache. He winched in pain and closed his eyes. When he opened them and to his surprise, not only could he read the text on all of the holographic images, he could understand the language, "wait, now I get it!"

"The TARDIS now recognizes you as a member of her crew," said The Doctor, "why it took this long for her to do so, I don't know, but she knows you now."

"That's great," said Aiden, "now, if we can just find out where we are…"

Just then there came the sound of an elaborate military fanfare broadcasted over the holographic system. All of the black adorned people looked up at the screens. Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory also looked up. All the screens now showed the words 'Special Bulliten.'

A female newscaster, with long dark red hair and orange eyes and wearing a revealing black dress appeared. "Citizens of the empire, rejoice!" said the newscaster, "the battle of Setti Alpha IX has ended in triumph! Our glorious navy and marines have completely vanquished the foul, loathsome, murdering forces of The Daleks!"

At that the black adorned masses cheered vibrantly, but Aiden and the others could still see the look of despair in the eyes of the lower classes.

The newscaster continued, "It is estimated that over 193,000 Dalek ships have been destroyed, while only 3,740 ships out of the 40,000 of our fleet have passed over onto paradise. Full casualty lists will be made available to the public when ready."

"That's incredible," said Aiden, "when my friends fought The Daleks, we were lucky to escape with our lives. These guys here, they wiped out an entire Dalek fleet while losing less than 10% of their own. Considering that this is The Daleks we're talking about, that's nothing short of a miracle."

"More like a curse," said Rory.

"If they beat the Daleks so easily," said Amy, "they're either incredibly good, or incredibly bad."

"Personally, my money is on the bad," said The Doctor.

The newscaster continued, "Our generals have established contact with the Dalek High Command on Skaro once again and have been in conference with The Supreme Dalek. Although it has not yet been confirmed, a cease fire has been established on all fronts. Reports are now coming in that negotiations have begun for an armistice. More information will be released as it comes in. This is a great day for us all, citizens. After centuries of wars, peace may finally be at hand." She then held up her right hand in salute, "Long live the empire!"

All the black-adorned people on the streets then raised their arms in salute, "Long live the empire!" the screens returned to their normal broadcasts and the people went about their businesses.

"Well, that was unexpected," said The Doctor, "to think that we'd run into someone who could best The Daleks. Only a handful of races in all of time and space could hold their own against them, let alone beat them in open battle."

"I thought you said that only your people, The Time Lords, could beat them," said Rory to The Doctor.

"There were a few others," said The Doctor, "the Movellans for one. They were a race of completely logical androids who fought The Daleks to a standstill that lasted for over 200 years. They both had equally powerful and sophisticated battle computers, but when one side came up with a strategy, the other side would instantly counter it and vice versa. The two war fleets faced each other in space, constantly maneuvering for position, only to do it again and again, never firing a shot."

"Sounds like an endless cycle," said Aiden, "one that only The Daleks deserve to be in."

"Well the Movellans weren't that nice either," said The Doctor, "but that was ancient history."

Just then the fanfare sounded again and all eyes were drawn up to the screens as the newscaster appeared.

"Citizens!" she said in an ecstatic tone, "brothers and sisters all! It has just been confirmed that an armistice has indeed been agreed upon! The Supreme Dalek has promised an end to all hostilities, as well as seceded over a dozen star systems and also agreed to pay billions in war reparations. A final note in the armistice; The Daleks have sworn to never invade imperial territory again and to always remain well out of the way of future border expansions.

"The Imperial High Council has declared today to be a day of celebration that is to be held for all time on Hakonian Prime and all other worlds and colonies in the empire, for today is the day that The Daleks have submitted. Today is the day that The Daleks have bowed before The Hakonian Empire! Long live the Empire!"

"Long live the empire!" shouted the masses.

"Well, now we know where we are," said Rory, "but that doesn't help us that much."

"Never underestimate the value of even the smallest bit of information, Rory," said The Doctor, "empires have risen and fallen on information."

"But we're going to have to get more if we're going to turn things around here," said Amy.

"I think we should leave," said Aiden in a distant tone. He looked as if he had just received the biggest shock in his life, and he had, for now he knew that he and his friends have arrived in the heartland of one of the worst enemies of his friends.

"We need to leave, Doctor," insisted Aiden, 'we're in quite possibly the worst place we can be in. Don't argue with me, let's just turn around, go back to The TARDIS and leave, before something terrible happens."

"What could possibly happen that's terrible?" The Doctor asked, although he looked around at the masses of people around them. By now the people, the Hakonians, were noticing Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory, mostly because of the colors of their clothes.

"Well for one thing," said Rory, "with the way we're dressed, we're sticking out like sore thumbs."

"And these guys can kill us if they feel like it," said Aiden, "my friends fought the decedents of these people, and if they're only half as bad as the ones we faced, then we're still in trouble."

Just then just then several police cars drove by and screeched to a halt beside them. Over a dozen cops wearing black uniforms and carrying blasters got out and aimed their weapons at Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory.

"Stay where you are!" one of the police officers shouted, "Don't move or we'll ventilate you!"

"I stand corrected," said Aiden, "now we're in trouble."

"Running would be a good idea right about now," said Amy.

"A very good reason," said The Doctor. He then pointed to something behind the heads of the Hakonian police officers, "isn't that a Sontarian battle cruiser up there?"

"A Sontarian battle cruiser!" exclaimed several of the cops. They all looked around wildly, only to see nothing. They then looked back and saw Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory running back towards The TARDIS.

"This happens to us a lot by they way!" said Amy to Aiden as they ran.

"And to my friend too," said Aiden, "so are we going to leave this horrible place or not?"

Just then a laser blast shot past them. "Stop!" shouted the cops as they fired more warning shots, "stop or you'll die!"

"Now I know we don't want to be here!" said Rory.

Just then one laser bolt came one inch too close to Aiden for his liking. He summoned his Keyblade and aimed it back at the pursuing Hakonian police, "eat this!" he shouted as he transmuted the ground in front of the cops into very slick mud. The police officers wound up slipping and collapsing all over each other.

"And that's what I call a poor sense of balance," said Aiden.

"And a perfect way to strike a blow for freedom and justice," said The Doctor.

Aiden then realized that hundreds, if not thousands of pedestrians had saw him use his Keyblade and Alchemy. Those in the upper class were merely looking at him, The Doctor, Amy and Rory, with competent that such odd outlanders would dare disrupt the status quo. But the lower classes, the downtrodden proletarians, they looked at Aiden with a mix of fear and awe that someone would dare defy the established order.

"I think you're right, Doctor," said a grinning Aiden, "we may have set history on the right path just by being here."

By then they had reached the alley where The TARIDS was. "What do you mean?" Rory asked as they all ducked into the alley.

"Well, I told you already that my friends and I have fought Hakonians in our time," said Aiden, "but these Hakonians were the descendents of this empire, and the empire fell thousands of years before we even first met them," he looked at The Doctor, "and apparently you had something to do with what caused the Hakonian empire to fall," he then paused in thought, "and me too."

"How can you have caused this empire to fall, Doctor?" Rory asked, "we only just got here."

"It's not what I did," said an eagerly grining Doctor, "but what I'm going to do. The events our friend Aiden described can be arranged as to take place in my future, while also in the past of his enemies, the Hakonians he and his companions fought."

"Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey," said Aiden.

"You know about wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey?" a surprised Doctor asked.

"My friend Kairi does," said Aiden, "my friends and I, we would up outside our own time on occasion."

"Uh, Doctor?" said a concerned Amy, "where's The TARDIS?"

Aiden, The Doctor and Rory then looked and saw that indeed gone, "That's a very good question, Pond," said The Doctor.

Just then Hakonian cops converged on the four travelers from both sides of the alley, "freeze, bastards!" one of the police shouted as they all aimed their blasters.

"Would this be a bad time to report a case of stolen property?" The Doctor asked as he, Aiden, Amy and Rory held their hands up. Several Hakonian cops activated red laser sights on their blasters and aimed them at the head of The Doctor, "I guess so," he said casually.

**The end of chapter 3.**

Next chapter finds our heroes fighting to protect Miley Stewart against the psycho villains, while it's Riku's turn to work out his issues, and Aiden and his time traveling friends end up in the clutches of a rather dumb villain. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	4. Chapter 4: The Hannah Incident

Last time found Donald, Goofy, Bella, Jacob and the wolves team up with Ranma, Sara and her fellow Stand Users prepare to defend Dream Valley and The Little Ponies from the two psycho villains, Xorat and Kiraxi. It was a valiant battle, but in the end, the psychos captured Sara and dragged her to New Hollow Bastion. Sara was thrown in with Nessie, Lyra and Violet. Elsewhere, Sora, Riku and Tess began their therapy under the guidance of Edward. Under hypnosis, it was revealed that a repressed memory was linked to Tess's inability to summon her Keyblade, a memory of her father revealing that he wasn't her father. But she accepted it and was willing to find out the truth, especially with the help of her friends. With that she was able to summon her Keyblade again. Meanwhile, Aiden and his time traveling friends learned that they had arrived deep in the past in the heart of The Hakonian Empire, the last place

**Chapter 4: The Hannah Incident**

"Uh, Doctor?" said a concerned Amy, "where's The TARDIS?"

Aiden, The Doctor and Rory then looked and saw that indeed gone, "That's a very good question, Pond," said The Doctor.

Just then Hakonian cops converged on the four travelers from both sides of the alley, "freeze, bastards!" one of the police shouted as they all aimed their blasters.

"Would this be a bad time to report a case of stolen property?" The Doctor asked as he, Aiden, Amy and Rory held their hands up. Several Hakonian cops activated red laser sights on their blasters and aimed them at the head of The Doctor, "I guess so," he said casually.

Aiden by then had his Keyblade up and was ready to fight, but he had enemies to the front and back, as well as having his new, time traveling friends to worry about, "what now, Doctor?" he asked, "I'm trying to think of a way out of this, but I've got nothing."

"Unfortunately neither do I," said The Doctor, "but that doesn't mean that we're finished, not yet anyway."

"You will let us know when we are finished, will you, Doctor?" Rory asked, "I'd like to plan my weekend accordingly."

"One crisis at a time, if you don't mind," said Amy.

"Right," said Aiden, "live today, fight tomorrow," he vanished his Keyblade and held his hands up. He then spoke to the Hakonian police officers who had their blasters aimed at the travelers, "take us to your leaders!"

"As if we'll bother the High Command with you lowlife scum," said one of the Hakonian cops as several more officers grabbed Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory and secured them with elaborate handcuffs.

"Take them to the Enforcement Bureau," said another officer, "they're clearly aliens, so let the ghouls in the yellow coats deal with them."

At that several of the officers shouted in agreement, while a few looked down with nervousness.

"I take it that this Enforcement Bureau is someplace we don't want to be," said The Doctor.

"Stranger," said one of the officers, "The Enforcement Bureau is the last place in this world or any other place you ever want to be."

"I can hardly wait," said The Doctor.

A short time later found the travelers escorted to a large pyramid building. Only a few people were outside it, all of them wearing yellow coats. The black uniformed cops handed them over to the men in yellow coats, whom then roughly shoved them inside and through dimly lit corridors. More men in yellow coats were inside, whom took the travelers off the hands of the first group.

After being manhandled through what seemed to be miles of corridors, Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory found themselves in a interrogation room lit by a single overhead lamp, a table with four chairs on one side and one on the other side.

"Can you say Gestapo much?" Amy asked as they looked around their surroundings.

"This is something out of the worst nightmare of where I came from," said Aiden, "The State has dealt with more than its fair share of ugly rumors, mostly about how State Alchemists abused their powers and authority. But some say that the government has its own secret police whom arrest anyone who gets too out of line. But again, those are only rumors."

"I'd hate to hear the truth," said Rory.

Just then several men in yellow coats walked in, including one with a bald head. This one sat at the single set on the other side of the table. The overhead lamp revealed that he had a scar across his left eye that extended halfway across his forehead. His coat had several medals and badges of rank, signifying that he high up in the organization

"I am Dunkan Shadowhunter," said the bald officer, "High Inquisitor of the Enforcement Bureau, and I'll be your interrogator this day. Do have a seat, we have much to discuss."

"Pleased to meet you, Dunkan Shadowhunter," said The Doctor as he, Aiden, Amy and Rory sat down, "I'm…"

"We know who you are," said Dunkan Shadowhunter.

"You do?" The Doctor asked, "Well of course you do. I am after all…"

"You're spies," said Dunkan Shadowhunter in an accusing tone, "spies sent here to undermine the empire right at its moment of ultimate triumph!"

"What? Are you daft?" Amy asked, "we're not spies."

"Oh yes you are," said Dunkan Shadowhunter, "but spies for whom? Could you be Cyberman agents? No, you're far too emotional. Perhaps you're Zygons in disguise, or maybe you are Sontaran infiltraters, attempting a stratagem to undermine the empire at its core. Or maybe you work for The Ice Warriors. Wait, I know," he slammed his hand on the table, "you're working for The Daleks! Confess! You were sent here to commit acts of sabotage, right when we're celebrating the end of the war. You're going to stir up trouble right here in the heart of the empire, create enough chaos at home so that while our forces are returning home to restore order, The Daleks launch a counterattack when we least expect it! Confess! Confess your crimes against the Hakonian Empire!"

"Are you out of your ever loving mind?" Rory asked, "Do we look like spies? Honestly, would spies go around dressed like we do?"

"There's two answers to that," said Dunkan Shadowhunter, "first, you have poor taste in fashion. Second, you're not very bright spies."

At that Aiden shot up out of his seat, "Let's get a few things straight, chrome dome. First, I'm not a spy, and neither are my friends. Second, I've got more knowledge in just one corner of my head than you do in your entire slimy brain!"

"I'll have you know, you miserable, teat-sucking pup," said Dunkan Shadowhunter, "I had my brain washed just last weak."

"I'm sure you did," said Amy, "you're the type who's so twisted by the authority of this world, I'm amazed you know which way is up."

Without warning, Dunkan Shadowhunter slapped Amy hard across the face, knocking her off her chair.

"Oy!" snapped Rory angrily as he tried to help her up, but then Dunakn Shadowhunter punched him in the head, knocking him down.

"That was uncalled for!" shouted The Doctor.

"I'm merely establishing my dominance over you scumdogs," said Dunkan Shadowhunter.

"Dominate this!" snapped Aiden as he summoned his Keyblade. He then jumped over the table and got behind Dunkan Shadowhunter. But then one of the men in yellow coats pulled out a blaster and shot Aiden with a stun bolt that seriously hurt him. Aiden collapsed to the floor writhing in pain, his Keyblade vanishing with his loss of concentration.

"Let that be a lesson to you all," said Dunkan Shadowhunter as two of the yellow coated men picked Aiden up and threw him across the table, "any malarkey will be dealt with extreme prejudice."

"You certainly know how to make a point," said The Doctor.

"It's my job," said Dunkan Shadowhunter, "now let me make myself clear. You're going to tell me exactly what I want to know, or else you're going to die slow, agonizing deaths, and you'll still talk if only to end the suffering."

"You want the truth?" The Doctor asked in a daring tone, "you can't handle the truth!"

"Try me," said Dunkan Shadowhunter as he stubbornly crossed his arms.

"Alright," said The Doctor, "I'm a 900 year old Time Lord on a wild journey through time and space. My friends here are from Earth, at least Amy and Rory are. I abducted them from their quiet lives in order to show them the beauty of the universe."

"It's true," said Amy, "I met The Doctor when I was a little girl. He just fell out of the sky in this blue box of his."

"And he turned our lives upside down three ways to Sunday," said Rory.

Aiden then recovered from being blasted and got up, "I'm an alchemist from The State, on a world outside this universe. I'm on a mission to save all of existence from the darkness."

At that Dunkan Shadowhunter laughed viciously, "of all the lies I've heard, these have got to be the most poorly imagined."

"You don't believe us?" The Doctor asked, "then help me find my TARDIS, and I'll prove that we're telling the truth."

"TARDIS," said Dunkan Shadowhunter, "I assume that's your ship that you used to invade the world."

"It travels in space," said The Doctor, "and time."

"Our scientists have proven that time travel is impossible," said Dunkan Shadowhunter, "our conquests over other races have produced fairy tales of a race of time travelers, but that's just it, fairy tales."

"Well then," said The Doctor as he leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the table, "how about this. Your empire just ended a war with The Daleks. I'll bet that some of your military blokes managed to capture some Daleks alive."

"That's not my department," said Dunkan, "but yes, it has been reported that Dalek prisoners have been taken."

"And I assume that those prisoners were taken to your scientists," said The Doctor, "and that they managed to crack the metal shells and examined the mutated creatures inside."

"Again," said Dunkan, "that's not my department."

But The Doctor continued, "and the creatures were tortured for information, not that they didn't deserve to suffer after all that they did, or maybe they didn't. But regardless of right or wrong, I'll bet that some of the prisoners told stories of one man who defied them at every turn, a man who was not a man but a Time Lord. And this Time Lord faced The Daleks again and again and foiled one diabolical plan after another."

"What does this have to do with you being spies?" Dunkan asked.

"I'm getting to that," said The Doctor, "and these tales told by the Dalek prisoners, they said that The Daleks as a whole grew to fear this one Time Lord so much that they gave him a name; _The Oncoming Storm_. You think your empire has faced and defeated the worst that the universe has to throw at you, you're wrong."

"And what does this have to do with you being spies?" Dunkan asked.

"Absolutely nothing," said The Doctor, "I was just stalling for time to allow myself and my young friend here to think of a brilliant escape plan."

"Sorry, Doctor," said Aiden, "I've still got nothing."

"And you won't get anything either," said Dunkan, "except more pain. This whole building has some of the most advanced anti-escape technology in the empire. The walls are full of maser guns and static traps, as well as all sorts of traps designed to maim without killing. Even if you can avoid the maser blasts of my comrades, you'll never leave this building alive. You are trapped, Doctor, you and your friends."

"Ah, that's where you made a mistake," said The Doctor, "a mistake that will cost you dearly."

"And what would that be?" Dunkan asked.

"It's a big, big, huge mistake," said The Doctor as he leaned forward and glared at Dunkan, "didn't anybody tell you that there's one thing that you never put in a trap? If you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there's one thing that you never, ever put in a trap."

"And what would that be?" Dunkan irately asked, clearly losing his patience.

At that The Doctor smiled confidently, "me."

At that Dunkan laughed viciously again, "you ought to be called The Comedian, though what good it'll do you, I don't know."

"What was the point of that tirade, Doctor?" Aiden asked.

"It worked against The Weeping Angels," said The Doctor.

"The what?" Aiden asked.

"These people aren't like living statues that will kill you if you blink," said Amy.

"Well, there's that," said The Doctor, "and I could use this," he then pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver, "a word of advice, mates, always check the pockets of your prisoners." He then activated a feature that neutralized the blasters of the yellow coats in the room. The goons tried to blast The Doctor, but the guns merely sputtered.

"You know, for enforcers of authority," said Rory as he, The Doctor, Amy and Aiden stood up, "you're not very smart."

"Definitely dumber than the Hakonians I've fought," said Aiden.

"You impudent bastards!" snapped Dunkan, "I am of the Hakonian elite! Every member of The Enforcement Bureau is a member of the elite, and can trace his ancestry back through 100 generations of elite families."

"If you're the elite," said Aiden, "then I hate to meet the rest of your people."

"If you have nothing else to ask us," said The Doctor, "my friends and I would like to take our leaves of this place."

"Fools!" snapped Dunkan, "did you honestly think that masers were all the arsenal we of the elite have at our disposal?" He stood up and summoned an axe that crackled with green lightning. One of the other yellow-coated men summoned a sword that crackled red energy, while another summoned a sword that crackled with purple energy.

"You want a fight?" Aiden asked as he summoned his Keyblade, "you're going to get it!"

Just then there came the sound of a muffled explosion from somewhere else in the building. This distracted the Hakonians long enough for Aiden to attack. He jumped at Dunkan and bashed him on the head with his Keyblade, knocking him out. He then transmuted the around the hands of the Hakonian with the red sword into cement, trapping his hands in makeshift cinderblocks. He fell to the floor with the sudden weight on his hands.

Aiden then bashed the head of the Hakonian with the purple sword, then went to work on the other Hakonians, rendering the remaining two unconscious. "You're right, Rory," he said, "they are dumb."

"Great," said Amy as the travelers looked around at the disabled Hakonians, "can we get out of here now?"

"Yes, leaving would definitely be an excellent idea," said The Doctor.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Rory asked as he picked up one of the Hakonian blasters.

"They've been turned off, you idiot," said Amy.

"Oh," said Rory, "right."

"Not to worry," said The Doctor. He aimed his Sonic Screwdriver at the blaster that Rory picked up and reactivated it. "good to go."

"Then let's go," said Aiden.

They made their way out of the interrogation room, just as Dunkan was regaining consciousness. The bald, scarred Hakonian pulled out a communications device from his coat pocket, "the prisoners have escaped, but they won't be free for long. Activate all security systems, and someone find out what that explosion was all about!"

"Acknowledged," said the Hakonian security officer on the other end of the line.

Dunkan pocketed the communication, "no one escapes from me," he said to himself, "no one!"

"I assume that one of us knows where we're going," said Rory as the travelers hurried through the corridors.

"I was following you guys," said Aiden as he looked backwards and forwards to make sure that there wasn't anyone about to attack them.

"So are we lost or not?" Amy asked.

"We're only lost if we give up, Pond," said The Doctor, "relax, I know which way they took us in," they then came upon an intersection in the hallway, "now, did we turn left here, or right?"

"So we are lost," said Aiden, "just perfect.

Just then came the sound of a loud klaxon in the hallway. "I think they know we're eon the lose," said Rory.

Just then several laser blasters emerged from the walls and aimed themselves at the four travelers.

"Not this year!" shouted Aiden as he sent of a pulse of Alchemic energy that changed the blasters into solid blocks of plastic before they could fire.

But then more devices emerged from the walls that produced laser beams that could cut through steel. The beams then converged on four travelers, trapping them in a tightening space.

Aiden tried to block one of the beams, but the power behind it was strong enough to force him back, "any bright ideas, Doctor?" He asked.

"Plenty," said The Doctor as he used his Sonic Screwdriver to deactivate the laser emitters.

"I so want one of those," said Aiden as they started running again, "what else does it do?"

"Pretty much everything," said The Doctor, "except it doesn't work on wood."

"It doesn't work on wood?" Aiden asked, "but it's a screwdriver."

"A Sonic Screwdriver," corrected The Doctor.

"Well if it's so sonic," said Aiden, "why can't it work on wood?"

"It also doesn't work on things that have been Dead Locked," said Amy.

"What the hell does that mean?" Aiden asked.

Just then air vents opened up in the ceiling, and from the vents came sleeping gas. "Oh for crying out loud!" said Aiden irately as he aimed his Keyblade up at the falling gas and transmuted it into oxygen, "I'm not in the mood!"

Just then two yellow-coated Hakonians tried to rush them, both carrying truncheons that crackled with electricity. Rory merely blasted them before they got close to attack.

"Still not the smartest of blokes," Rory said.

"Now I remember," said The Doctor, "it's straight, then turn left at the intersection."

"Now he remembers," said Aiden.

They hurried through the corridors without further trouble, eventually making it to the doors to the outside, but when they got outside, they found themselves surrounded by dozens of yellow coated Hakonians armed with laser rifles and cannons. Also there were several hovering Jeeps that also had laser cannons, and a pair of hovering tanks. All in all the four travelers were in quite the pinch.

Right in the middle of the crowd of yellow coats was Dunkan, glaring at Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory with murder in his eyes, "one chance, you despicable spies! Surrender or die!"

"Can that Sonic Screwdriver that doesn't work on wood get us out of this, Doctor?" Aiden asked as he raised his Keyblade defensively.

"Not on all of them at once," said The Doctor, "But we're not finished yet."

"And just how are we going to get out of this one, Doctor?" Rory asked as he aimed his appropriated blaster at first one yellow-coat then another, then another.

"Final warning, spies!" snapped Dunkan, "surrender or die!"

"For the last time, we're not spies, you thrice-damned prick!" snapped Aiden.

"That does it!" shouted Dunkan. He then yelled at his fellow yellow-coats, "ventilate them!"

But just as the Hakonians pulled the triggers on their blasters, the four travelers vanished in a flash of light, causing the yellow-coats to shoot out the front doors of their own headquarters.

"Cease fire!" shouted a startled Dunkan. When the shooting stopped, he examined where Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory once stood. He then whirled on his men with fury in his eyes, "find them! I don't care how long it takes, how much it costs, no matter what, I want those spies found and destroyed!"

* * *

><p>The flash disoriented Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory for a few seconds, but then they realized that they were no longer where they were. They now found themselves in a large building of some sort. It seemed to be a typical abandoned warehouse, with broken windows and discarded bits of junk here and there.<p>

But also in the room were several Hakonians wearing a wide variety of dark colors, such as blood red, sea green, deep purple and so on. Some of the Hakonians were cleaning weapons; energy blades and blasters, while others were working at computer terminals. One female Hakonian, with long raven black hair tied up in a braid, bright green eyes and wearing a dark blue jacket and a red skirt and green boots, stood at an elaborate computer consol about three yards away from the four travelers.

"Site to site transport complete," said the female Hakonian.

"Thank you, Jessika," said one of the male Hakonians in the room, a tall man with short brown hair, one blue eye, the other brown, and wearing a black and white jacket with tan pants and boots.

He walked up to Aiden and the others, "we almost thought we would have to go inside the Enforcement Bureau itself in order to get you out, the building is shielded against the transporter."

"I guessed as much when you teleported us when we got outside," said The Doctor, "but what my friends and I are wondering is why rescue us in the first place."

"That's a very good question," said the Hakonian, "permit me to answer it with a question of my own; what's a Time Lord doing on Hakonian Prime?"

At that The Doctor was slightly taken aback, while Aiden gulped with nervousness.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," said Rory.

"I knew we should have turned left at The Medusa Cascade," said Amy.

* * *

><p><strong>…Malibu, California, Earth…a short time ago…<strong>

The portal opened up, spilling Hayner, Pence, Olette, Rosalie and Emmet onto the moonlit beach.

"At least it's after dark," said Rosalie as they got up and brushed sand off of their clothes, "and there's no one around to see us."

"Uh, Rose," said Emmet, "look behind you."

Rosalie turned around and saw a boy and a girl laying on a beach blanket, clearly in the middle of making out. The boy was about 20 or so with short orange hair and hazel eyes, wearing a green shirt and blue jeans. The girl was about 18 with brown eyes and long brown hair tied back in a white ribbon. She wore a long blue dress. This was Ian Donovan and Ukyo Kuonji, two exceptionally gifted martial artists and part of the group of bodyguards for Miley, The Neon Knights.

"Hey, would you mind not 'porting in front of us?" Ian asked in his heavy Texan drawl, "this is a private party."

"Aren't you at the least bit concerned that a portal just opened up in front of us?" Ukyo asked.

"Light of my heart," said Ian, "after all the insanity of The Tournament of Light, hardly anything surprises me anymore."

"Yeah," said Ukyo as she and Ian stood up, "and after all that I've seen in my life, I'm not surprised that I'm not surprised either."

"I don't suppose that you're acquainted with one Miley Stewart, are you?" Rosalie asked, "otherwise known as Hannah Montana."

At that both Ukyo and Ian looked like someone had walked over their graves, "how did you know that?" Ukyo asked.

"Are you paparazzi?" Ian demanded, "alien paparazzi from another dimension?"

"Do we look like aliens?" Olette asked.

"We're friends of Sora," said Pence.

"Sora?" Ukyo asked, "he sent you?"

"We're here because Miley is in serious danger," said Emmet, "Sora couldn't come, so we came instead."

"But what about Riku, Kairi and Aiden?" Ian asked, "Why didn't they come?"

"It's a long story," said Hayner as he pulled out the video player, "and I think it'd be better if we showed it to Miley."

"Well, she's not here," said Ukyo, "she's out with…a friend, and the other Neon Knights, but they should be back…soon."

"I have the feeling that you don't fully trust us," said Rosalie.

"When it comes to Miley's safety," said Ian, "trusting strangers isn't a luxury we can afford."

Just then Ukyo's cell phone rang, her ringtone being 'Supergirl.'

"It's Adam," said Ukyo as she looked at the caller ID. She took the call, "Hi, Adam….no, nothing's wrong…well, unless you count the five strangers who fell out of a portal onto the beach…yeah, they say they're friends of Sora and have a message from him…I don't know what it is, they say it's for Miley…they say that she's in danger…no, I don't think it can wait until you all are done…calling it a night would be a good idea…okay, we'll see you all soon…no I'm not alone, Ian's here…"

She then blushed heavily from what she heard on the other end, "you tell that lunatic Felicia that what Ian and I do on our night off is our business alone, and you can say the same thing to Kuno…and his crazy sister too…yes and Kyle, and the others too, now get your sorry buts over here and we'll get this straightened out." With that she hung up the phone.

"What was that all about?" Pence asked.

"A mild disagreement between friends, that's all," said Ukyo as she put her phone away. "Now, the others would probably crucify me for this, but I'm willing to go out on a limb and trust you strangers."

"You are?" Ian asked, "with all due respect, my dearest, but these guys are total strangers who fell out of the blue claiming to be friends of Sora," he looked at Hayner, Pence, Olette, Rosalie and Emmet, "how do we know that you even know Sora and the others?"

"Oh, right," said Olette, "Sora should have given us something to say so that they'll know we're from him and the others."

"Just show them the video," said Emmet, "they'll know we're telling the truth."

"Fine by me," said Pence.

"Alright," said Olette as she pulled out the video player and handed it to Ian, "if that's not proof we're from Sora, Riku and the others, I don't know what is."

Ian and Ukyo then watched the video of Riku. Afterwards they handed it back, "you're right, you are from Sora and the others," said Ukyo.

"But why didn't he, Riku and the others come?" Ian asked.

"It's a long story," said Pence.

"And exactly what kind of villains are we talking about?" Ukyo asked as she pulled out from her pocket a metal spatula that had a razor edge, "if they were strong enough to beat Sora and the others, what can you guys do to help keep Miley safe?"

"Well, I've got my sword," said Hayner, "Olette has her magic and Pence has his shields."

"And Emmet and Rosalie are…" said Pence, but he hesitated, realizing that he was about to expose the vampires.

"I'll explain," said Rosalie as she looked at Ian and Ukyo, "this big hunk of mine here and I, we're not what we seem."

"I have my own ideas," said Ukyo.

"Well how about this?" said Emmet, "you know all those stories of vampires? Of coffins, crosses, holy water and turning into bats? Total myths."

"And you know the truth about vampires?" Ian asked cautiously.

"I could tell you," said Emmet, "or I can show you," he sniffed the air, "and it's been a while since we hunted." Without warning, he ran down the beach and dove into the waves.

"What the hell was that all about?" Ukyo asked, "is that guy crazy or something?"

"Just give him a minute," said Rosalie, "you'll see for yourself."

A few seconds later something huge shot out of the water, something that turned out to be a shark. It landed on the sand a few yards from Hayner, Pence and Olette. Everyone on the beach, except for Rosalie, were completely shocked by this sudden turn of events.

Emmet then ran out from the waves and stopped in front of the thrashing shark, "dinner is served!" he said.

"I'm in the mood for fish," said a smiling Rosalie with that she and Emmet sunk their teeth into the shark. It futilely struggled for a second or two, but then it stopped moving from a combination of vampire venom, blood loss and asphyxiation.

Even though they were prepared for it, Hayner, Pence and Olette were completely shocked by the sight of the two vampires draining the blood out of the shark, and Ian and Ukyo weren't taking it lightly either.

After a while the shark was completely drained of blood. Emmet and Rosalie stood up and licked the few drops of blood from their lips, "nothing like fresh predator for dinner," said Rosalie.

"Okay," said a disturbed Ukyo, "you've convinced me that you're vampires."

"All the more reason to keep them away from Miley!" said Ian.

"Oh for crying out loud," said an exasperated Emmet, "didn't we just prove that we're vegetarian vampires?"

"We only kill animals for blood," said Rosalie, "we would never hurt a human if we could help it."

"I sincerely doubt that," said Ian.

"I still believe them," said Ukyo, "despite the fact that two of them are blood sucking freaks."

"Then what should we do?" Ian asked.

"Adam and the others should have Miley safely home in half an hour," said Ukyo, "so we'll use that time to go explain things to Robbie Ray."

"Who's that?" Pence asked.

"Miley's dad," said Ian, "they don't have any secrets between them, well, none serious that is, and if this is as serious as you say it is, then it's as serious as it's gonna get."

Ian and Ukyo then lead Hayner, Pence, Olette, Emmet and Rosalie up the beach towards the house where Miley lived. There they met with Miley's father, former Country superstar Robbie Ray Stewart. The five travelers introduced themselves to Robbie Ray, explained why they were here and showed him the video of Riku.

"Now wait just a dang gone minute here!" said Robbie Ray Stewart after the video ended, "I thought this whole mess with Heartless and all that otherworldly stuff was all said and done!"

"Sora once said that as long as there is darkness in the hearts of man," said Hayner, "the threat of The Heartless will remain. I guess same goes for demons and villains alike."

"Figures," said Robbie Ray, "and remind me just who in the Sam Hill are you kids?"

"Kids?" Emmet asked, "I'm over 70 years old for crying out loud."

"I know you're upset, Mr. Stewart," said Rosalie, "and are concerned for your daughter's safety."

"You darn tooting I'm upset," said Robbie Ray, "last time this psycho god with fire for hair tried to burn Miley and everyone else at the tournament alive, and there was that psycho witch with purple skin."

"Don't forget the psycho stalker, Robbie Ray," said Ukyo.

"Yeah, that guy too," said Robbie Ray, "I thought things were topsy-turvy before, but now with these new bad guys you've told me about that you and the other guys couldn't stop, they're coming here next?"

"We're really not sure when they're coming," said Olette, "they could be here tomorrow, they could be here in thirty seconds. But we can't help Miley by sitting here in your living room arguing with you."

"That's what she's got those Neutron Night guys protecting her," said Robbie Ray.

"Neon Knights, Mr. Stewart," said Ian, "Adam was adamant about our team name."

"It was either that or 'Sucmdogs of the Universe,'" said Ukyo in an exasperated tone, "why that man, a believer in the way of Shaolin no less, is a fan of Gwar, I'll never know."

"And he also likes Black Sabbath," said Ian.

"Well my daughter has all those fighters watching her back," said Robbie Ray, "and those guys from the FBI, the Heartstone Foundation and those Watchtower guys."

"Most of the people involved from the FBI and the Heartstone Foundation are members of the Watchtower Initiative," said Ian.

"Who?" Pence asked.

"A top secret organization dedicated to keeping the world safe from supernatural threats," said Ukyo.

"I doubt that The Watchtower Initiative has anything that can stop Xorat and that fake Kairi," said Olette.

"I get that this Xorat guy is like this really evil version of a not so nice guy," said Robbie Ray.

"That's a rather simple way of describing a Nobody," said Rosalie, "but it's way more complicated than that."

"And I also get that your friend Kairi now has an evil, supercharged twin," said Robbie Ray, "but what I don't get is how in the Sam Hill are you going to protect my daughter when you couldn't even protect your friends? In fact, exactly why didn't Sora and those other kids with them Key swords come in the first place?"

"Keyblades," said Pence, "and, well…the truth is…"

"It'd be better if we wait for Miley to arrive," said Hayner, "having to explain things over and over can be really annoying."

"Well I still need a few facts straightened out," said Robbie Ray, "I get that you three are good friends with Sora," he looked at Hayner, Pence and Olette, then looked at Emmet and Rosalie, "but just what is your part in all of this?"

"Our niece was kidnapped by the same rotten sack of pig vomit of a villain who wants your daughter," said Rosalie.

"As for us," said Emmet, "we're not what we seem on the outside."

"They're not human, Mr. Stewart," said Ukyo, "but they're not evil either."

"We're willin' to trust them," said Ian, "assuming they can keep their fangs off us live ones."

"We do not have fangs," said Rosalie, "just very sharp teeth."

"You make it sound like you two are some kind of vampire," said Robbie Ray.

"More or less," said Emmet.

Just then the front door opened and four people walked in…

Adam Carpenter; master of Shaolin Kung Fu and lover of heavy metal music. Andrew wore a blue and gray jacket over a green shirt with blue jeans and boots. He had short brown hair and wore glasses over his brown eyes.

Shampoo of the Chinese Amazons; master of her tribe's signature Kung Fu style and soul mate of Adam. She wore a red flower print shirt and pants with her long purple hair done up in twin buns.

Felicia Valentine; Eskrima user from Boston, otherwise known at The Butcher of Boston. Felicia had dark brown, almost black eyes and waist length brown hair. She wore a black leather jacket over a red shirt and jeans with boots.

Moose of the Chinese Amazons; a male member of the famous tribe, and a master of Slight of Hand Martial Arts. He had long black hair and wore really thick coke bottle glasses. He wore a long white shirt with very wide sleeves that concealed a wide variety of chain-based weapons, with blue pants and black shoes.

"Adam," said Ian, "these are the unexpected guests we told you about," he indicated Hayner, Pence, Olette, Emmet and Rosalie.

"They certainly unexpected," said Shampoo as she looked at the five travelers, "especially two vampires here," she looked more closely at Emmet and Rosalie.

"Vampires?" Felicia asked, "are you freaking kidding me?"

"How do you know we're vampires?" Rosalie asked.

"Great-grandmother teach Shampoo more than just martial arts," said the purple-haired Amazon.

"They don't look like vampires to me," said Mousse.

"They're over here," said an annoyed Felicia.

Mousse then realized that not only were his glasses on top of his head, but he was talking to the piano in the room. He put his glasses over his eyes and then looked around, seeing Emmet and Rosalie, "oh yeah, there they are. Yes, they are vampires," he walked up to Emmet and Rosalie, "and judging by their eyes, non-human drinkers."

"We prefer to be called vegetarian vampires," said Rosalie.

Just then six more martial artists walked in…

Ryoga Hibiki, practitioner of freestyle Kempo and former arch nemisis of Ranma Saotome. Ryoga had a history of chronic manic depression fueled by his hated of Ranma and his equally chronic lack of a sense of direction. This, combined with his devastating physical strength and defense, made him a reckless fighter whom didn't care who or what got in his way, so long as he could destroy whatever he was fighting. He had black hair, dark eyes, yellow shirt, black pants, yellow bandana with black spots. He carried a bamboo umbrella that was much heavier than it looked, serving as his primary weapon.

Jean-Louise D'arch, Savate user from France and one true love of Ryoga. She helped Ryoga pull his head out of his ass and accept the bright side of life. She had shoulder length brown and gray eyes. She wore a white jacket over a blue shirt and a green skirt and black sandals.

Julia Eckheart, Muay Thai user from Australia. A laidback girl from down under, Julia had a scar beneath her left eye that was the result of a propane tank explosion. Her eyes were brown and her hair was short and dark blond. She wore a black shirt with blue jeans and boots.

Tatewaki-Kuno, otherwise known as The Blue Thunder and The Rising Star. An over the top Kendo expert with a passion for Shakespeare and an all around moron who's heart was lifted from the depths of stupidity by Julia's love. Kuno had brown hair stylized in a pompadour and wore a blue kendo gi with wooden sandals, with his trusty kendo sword in his belt.

Kodatchi-Kuno, otherwise known as The Black Rose mistress of Rhythmic Gymnastic martial arts, with a preference for poisons and a genuine psychopath to boot. She had long black hair tied to one side with a ribbon and wore a blue and white dress with blue high heals.

Kyle O'Hara, Pankration user from Ireland. Kyle actually had the luck, or some would say bad luck, of falling in love with Kodatchi, and getting her to fall in love with him, and the two of them balanced each other out. Kyle had short red hair and green eyes, wearing a green jacket over a blue shirt and blue jeans.

"All clear, mates," said Julia as she stuck her head out the door.

And then finally came in Miley Stewart, an exceptionally beautiful teenager with long chestnut brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a red and yellow top with a blue skirt and white sandals.

With her was her two best friends; Lilly Trustcot, long blond hair, blue eyes and wearing a black and white stripped top with a green skirt and sandals, and her beau Oliver Oken, shoulder-length black hair, blue eyes and wearing a green shirt.

And last but not least was Miley's boyfriend, Jake Ryan, star of TV and film.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Miley asked, "one minute we're on our way to dinner, net thing you know, I'm being herded back home faster than a ruptured duck."

"This had better be serious, _mes amis estranges_," said Jean-Louise as she looked at Hayner, Pence, Olette, Emmet and Rosalie.

"Just who are you people?" Kyle asked.

"Here we go again," sighed Olette.

"Are you guys really friends of Sora and Kairi?" Lilly asked, "and why aren't they with you?"

"Again, here we go again," sighed Olette.

"We are friends of Sora," said Hayner, "and before you ask anything else," he handed the video player to Miley, "you really need to see this. It doesn't explain everything, but we'll fill in the blanks afterwards."

* * *

><p><strong>…New Hollow Bastion…<strong>

"Time to pick the next victim!" said Gideon, "now who should it be?" he looked at the three remaining princesses of heart, setting his gaze on Victorie Weasley, "should it be this one?" he looked at Kairi, "no, not this one, the total stranger," he then shifted his eyes between Miley and Usagi, "I'd rather have you tortured by seeing your friends taken, before we get to the little witch."

"You're only making things worse for yourself," said Kairi, "when Sora and the others get here…"

"Have you forgotten so easily?" Gideon shouted, "Your boyfriend and those other two losers aren't coming! They don't have Keyblades anymore! They're about as useful as square wheels on a car."

"Miley has better quips than you," muttered Kairi.

"Thank you for suggesting the next target," said Maleficent as she highlighted the image of Miley, "this one, the princess with two lives, the one with the voice that can bring hope and light to other hearts. She won't be singing for much longer."

"NO!" exclaimed Kairi, "you leave Miley alone!"

"Or what?" Gideon asked as he sat down and crossed his legs, "what are you gonna do? Arrest me?" he then crossed the other leg.

"That only works if you're a girl, you son of a pig!" spat Kairi.

"I've been called worse," said Gideon in a nonchalant tone as he stood up. He then looked at The Negotiator, "kindly page Xorat and Kiraxi to come up here as soon as they're done recharging."

"Yes, Mr. Graves," said The Negotiator.

"You think you know Sora and the others," said Kairi, "even without Keyblades, my friends will find a way to fight back, and then you'll wish you never even thought about this insane plan of yours!"

"Genius and insanity are often confused," said Maleficent, "as for your precious friends," she then summoned an image of the events in Dream Valley, replaying the fight between Kiraxi vs. Bella, Jacob, his pack, Sara and her friends, "your doppelganger is more than qualified to dispatch anyone or anything who stands in her way."

"But she could do better," said Gideon as he looked at the part of the fight where Bella bit Kiraxi, "yes, there is room for improvement."

"So your cloning project isn't perfect," said Kairi.

"Ah, but she will be perfect," said Gideon, "after a few modifications." He then saw that Maleficent had switched views to the fight between Xorat and Ranma, "this guy could be improved as well."

"Yes," said Maleficent in a thoughtful manner as she saw how much damage Xorat had took during the fight. She then pulled up images of every fight that Xorat and Kiraxi were in so far, "yes, both of them could be improved."

She then vanished all the images, walked to her dark throne and pressed a series of hidden switches that were coded to her particular dark magic signature. In the middle of the room, directly underneath where the images hung in the air, a circular panel open. A small pedestal rose up, and on it was a book. It was very old, with a plain black leather cover that was cracked and slightly worn, and the pages were yellow and dog-eared.

"Your personal grimoire?" Gideon asked in an intrigued tone as he eyed the book, already several ideas involving using the book in order to get an edge over Maleficent was coursing though his insidious mind.

"My greatest treasure," said Maleficent as she stood in front of the pedestal and placed her hands beside the book, "and the key to my success to becoming the mistress of all evil."

"So that's the copy of Hecate's book that you made," said Kairi.

At that Maleficent did a double take and glared at Kairi with murder in her yellow eyes, "how did you know that?" She walked right up to Kairi, "who told you that I copied from Hecate's book?" she reached down and latched onto Kairi's throat with her hand and began strangling her, "tell me! Tell me or you die now!"

Kairi was completely helpless, restrained by the life-draining chair. Already weakened, she could only sit there as Maleficent throttled the remaining life out of her. With her oxygen-deprived brain on the verge of unconsciousness, Kairi knew that this was the end. And she realized that what she was thinking right now, 'Sora, I love you so much,' was probably the last thing she would think about alive.

"Stop it!" snapped Gideon as he forced Maleficent's hand away from Kairi. Kairi gasped and coughed for much needed air as life returned to her.

"How dare you touch me!" raged Maleficent, "I should destroy you here and now!"

"We still need the brat alive," said Gideon, "Kiraxi still needs her life force in order to function at peak performance."

"That is no excuse," said Maleficent, "the brat knows my secret, and now she must be silenced, and so must you and your demon majordomo."

"What? Wait!" exclaimed Gideon, "that's not necessary."

"Oh but it is," said Maleficent, "my secrets are mine and mine alone. All who know them must be destroyed, least they use them against me."

"Good luck with that," said Kairi in a hoarse voice, "not only do I know, but so does Sora, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Donald, Goofy, Nessie, Lyra, Will, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Jacob, and a lot of others. You'll have to kill us all in order to keep your secret."

"An act that I'll be more than pleased to do," said Maleficent, "but who told you the secret?"

"Who do you think?" Kairi asked, "who in all of time and space would know everything there is to know about you, including your deepest, darkest secret?"

At that Maleficent faltered, her eyes betraying a hint of fear, "L Lawlett," she said in a hushed tone.

"That crazy detective?" Gideon asked, "I thought Lord Kira killed him."

"Oh, he's alive alright," said Kairi, "and he told us everything we need to know to stop you both."

"Then we'll just have to kill him again," said Gideon, "but first thing's first, upgrading our pets."

Just then Xorat and Kiraxi walked into the room, "ready to go after the next brat, oh mistress of all evil," said Xorat.

"In a moment, my loyal Xorat," said Maleficent as she walked over to the book, opened it and leafed through the pages, "There is a spell I wish to cast first."

"We think that you two deserve to be upgraded," said Gideon.

"I do not need an 'upgrade!'" said an offended Kiraxi, "I am the perfect warrior of darkness!"

"But you can be improved," said Gideon, "each time you and the Nobody here went out to fight, you came back damaged. Not seriously, but enough to merit a trip to the rejuvenation chamber."

"So what?" Xorat asked.

"When you fought that Ranma guy," said Gideon, "you weren't doing so good out there."

"I would have defeated that freak, Ranma!" snapped Xorat, "I would have destroyed him once and for all had the fight lasted longer."

"You should have been able to destroy him within seconds," said Maleficent as she continued to leaf through her spell book.

"And you, my dear, coy biot," said Gideon to Kiraxi, "you were also having some trouble, especially after you were bitten by a vampire."

"I'm immune to vampires!" snapped Kiraxi.

"But their venom still hurt you," said Gideon, "so there is room for improvement."

"And how are you going to improve us?" Xorat asked.

"The same way I created you," said Maleficent, "my dark magic brought you into existence, therefore you shall be improved in the same way."

"And I'll improve my creation with science," said Gideon. He looked at The Negotiator, "bring up a vile of Formula X-35."

"X-35?" The Negotiator asked, "but, Mr. Graves, it hasn't been properly tested yet on humans."

"I'm not going to use it on a human," said Gideon, "my dear Kiraxi is anything but human. Now bring up some Formula X-35."

"Yes, Mr. Graces," said The Negotiator in a hesitant tone as he sent the desired message out on his PDA.

"What is this Formula X-35?" Maleficent asked.

"A high-end performance enhancing drug," said Gideon, "one that will not only make Kiraxi immune to vampire venom, but will increase her strength, speed and all her other stats by at least 20%."

"The tests on lab animals showed an average increase of 21.3592%," said The Negotiator.

"Immunity plus more power," said Kiraxi in a thoughtful manner, "sounds like a winner to me."

"So you're going to give her steroids," said Kairi in a disgusted tone.

"This serum makes steroids look like caffeine," said Gideon, "just wait and see."

"In the meantime," said Maleficent as she found the page in her book she wanted, "I have the desired spell."

"What do I have to do, oh mistress of all evil?" Xorat asked.

"Merely stand where you are," said Maleficent, "and brace yourself for the next level of darkness!" She then began chanting in a language that Kairi couldn't understand, all the while waving her staff in complex movements, the green orb atop glowing with vile energies.

Xorat then realized that the same vile energies was forming around him. Normally this would terrify a person, but Xorat was anything but normal.

"Yes!" said Xorat as the energies swirled around his body, "give me the power! I want it all!"

Maleficent's chanting got louder and the flow of energies grew in intensity.

From where she was sitting, Kairi could tell, even without her powers enhancing her senses, that this spell being cast was of a sort most foul, and he had no desire to see its effects.

"Don't even think about trying to look away, princess," sneered Gideon, "you're going to watch and enjoy the show!"

Finally, Maleficent's spell reached its climax. She slammed the end of her staff against the floor with a loud 'Clang!' and the energies around Xorat converged and were absorbed into his body with a dark flash.

"It is done," said Maleficent, "your power has been increased three fold."

Xorat held out his hands and looked at them, "I…I honestly don't feel any different."

"That's because you have not used the activation word," said Maleficent, "when you say a word of your choosing, your body will explode with power!"

"I hope you do explode!" said Kairi.

"Not this year," said Xorat, "now, what activation word should I use," he paused in thought, "raging storm!" With that his whole body was engulfed in a crimson battle aura. His muscle mass suddenly increased, giving him nearly three times the muscles.

"Yes!" exclaimed Xorat, "I feel the power! I am the power!" He then calmed down; his muscles returning to normal and his battle aura fading out.

"And now a warning," said Maleficent.

"_Now _a warning?" Xorat exclaimed.

"The spell has it's limitations," said Maleficent, "you can only maintained that heightened level of power for only fifteen minutes at a time, before the magic exhausts itself and needs half an hour to restore itself."

"Only fifteen minutes at a time," said Xorat, "so be it. Fifteen minutes is all I need to destroy my enemies."

Just then a lesser demon carried in a tray with a fist sized jet injector and several small bottles of a yellow liquid .

"Formula X-35," said Gideon, "with this, Kiraxi will be made not only immune to vampire venom, but also be made unstoppable!"

"Killer," said Kiraxi, "what do I do?"

"Just press the jet injector your neck," said The Negotiator, "making sure that it lines up with your jugular vein and pres the button."

"You'll be feeling like a god in no time," said Gideon.

"Just line up and press the button," said Kiraxi as The Negotiator showed her out to load a vile of Formula X-35 into the jet injector, then showed her the button to press. Kiraxi then took the jet injector, pressed it to her neck and pushed the button. There was the sound of the liquid being forced into her vein.

Within seconds she gasped as the serum passed through her vile heart and was absorbed into her body. She closed her eyes as the blood vessels around her face became distended. Suddenly she opened her eyes, which were now nearly all red.

"Yes," said the vile biot, "the power! Absolute power!" she then unleashed an enormous aura of black fire that nearly burned the room down. Only Maleficent's magic saved her, her pet raven, Gideon, The Negotiator, and Kairi because they still needed her, from being incinerated.

After a few seconds Kiraxi calmed down, releasing her burning aura. Her eyes and the blood vessels around her eyes returned to normal.

"What happened?" she asked, "I…I feel…normal, again."

"That's because the majority of the first dose has been completely absorbed into your cellular structure," said The Negotiator, "you are now completely immune to vampire venom."

"The next dose is when the fun begins," said Gideon as he handed the rest of the formula vials to Kiraxi, "each dose should last fifteen minutes, and I wouldn't recommend using another for at least thirty minutes."

"Tests on chimpanzees have shown certain side effects to multiple dosages," said The Negotiator, "including, but not limiting to…headaches, loss of balance, poor muscle control, heightened aggressiveness, decreased sense of reason and lucidity, and in one case really horrific acne."

"Well, I wouldn't want to spoil this beautiful face then, would I?" Kiraxi asked as she pocketed the vials, keeping one out to load into the jet injector, then pocketing that in turn.

"Now which princess are we going after next?" Xorat asked.

"This one," said Maleficent as she summoned the image of Miley.

"Ah, the brat who thinks she can sing," said Xorat, "you know, back when I was human, I was invited to attend The Tournament of Light. I would have, just so I could have the chance to destroy Ranma and those other freaks with the Jusenkyo curse, and the rest of his loser friends, but the thought of flaunting myself in front of half a billion viewers on television and on the internet, it just seemed like a complete waste of time."

"Well now you have the chance to destroy them all," said Gideon.

"Our sources say that the princess is guarded by twelve martial artists," said The Negotiator, "all of whom were in the tournament, and half of them are acquaintances of Ranma Saotome, including the ones afflicted with the Jusenkyo curse."

"Outstanding," said Xorat, "with my new powers, I'll murder them all."

"Save a few for me," said Kiraxi, "with my new powers, I'll be unstoppable!"

"Then go and bring the waif here!" said Maleficent as she summoned a Dark Corridor.

"We live to serve," said Xorat as he and Kiraxi bowed to Gideon and Maleficent, then they both walked through the Dark Corridor.

* * *

><p><strong>…Malibu…<strong>

Having watched the video from Riku, and listened to Hayner, Pence, Olette, Rosalie and Emmet filling in all the blanks, especially explaining why Sora, Riku and Tess couldn't come, the living room of the Stewart house exploded into argument as the twelve members of The Neon Knights over how to proceed next.

Jean-Louise, Royga, Mousse, Felicia, Tatewaki and Julia were for taking a stand and fight Xorat and Kiraxi as soon as the two maniacs showed up. Andrew, Shampoo, Ian, Ukyo, Kodatchi and Kyle were in favor of retreating to a more secure location and fighting a defensive battle there.

"Can't anyone do something?" Oliver asked, "I can barely hear myself think with them shouting at each other.

"They're going at it worse than the time my uncle Earl and aunt Pearl got into a fight over the last box of doughnuts at the supermarket," said Miley, "on a Monday no less."

"What's the difference?" Olette asked.

"Monday is when they have Bavarian Cream doughnuts," Miley.

"Oh, I love those!" said Emmet.

"I thought vampires don't eat," said Lilly.

"We don't need to eat," said Rosalie, "but we can indulge our senses whenever we feel like it."

Just then Adam shouted above the other martial artists, "stop it! All of you! This is getting us nowhere!"

"Finally," said Robbie Ray, "the voice of reason. It's getting louder in here than Woodstock."

"Reason aside, Mr. Stewart," said Julia, "running away to find some place to burry your head in the sand won't solve this problem."

"It's better than just standing around and wait for those two maniacs to come and kill us," said Ian, "I'd rather take my chances in an open fight."

"And I'd rather live to fight another day," said Kodatchi, "we need to get Miley to somewhere safe and come up with a plan."

"Didn't you listen to these guys story?" Felicia asked, indicating Hayner, Pence, Olette, Emmet and Rosalie, "that evil copy of Kairi beat up half a dozen freaking vampires and five freaking werewolves!"

"They're not actually werewolves," said Hayner.

"Whatever," said Felicia, "the point is we're pretty much screwed no matter what we do. Run or fight, it makes no difference."

"We're only screwed if we give up," said Adam, "every problem has a solution. We can solve this dilemma if we all work together."

"What, is that some sort of Shaolin motto or something?" Kyle asked.

"No," said Adam, "just ordinary common sense."

"Adam be right," said Shampoo, "gods give us brains, so we use them to save Princess Miley from evil ones."

"Well, we're all ears if you have a plan," said Ukyo.

"Aren't we forgetting something?" Jake Ryan asked, "isn't there someone's opinion we should be consulting?"

"Oh by all means, mister big shot Hollywood actor," said Felicia in a sarcastic tone, "tell us your brilliant plan to save Miley and all of us from the psychopathic fighters coming to kill us."

"I was talking about what Miley thinks," said Jake, "we're all talking about keeping her safe, about protecting her life and freedom, when we should be thinking about what course of action she should want to do."

"Now that's what I call a voice of reason," said Robbie Ray.

"And I thought you still hated my guts from that whole 'Gotcha' thing," said Jake.

"You're still on probation as far as I'm concerned," said Robbie Ray.

"Well I forgave him long ago, daddy," said Miley. She looked at Jake with adoring eyes, "and thanks, Jake."

"Any time," said Jake, "so, what should we do to keep you safe, Miley?"

"_Éventaire et lutte_!" said Jean-Louise, "Stand and fight!"

"Tactical withdraw!" insisted Tatewaki Kuno, "for a more favorable defensive position."

"It's your call, Miles," said Robbie Ray, "thought I personally think we should make a run for Guam."

"If we're going to run away," said Oliver, "Easter Island sounds like a safe place to me."

"Antarctica sounds safer," said Lilly, "all Easter Island has is those big stone heads. Antarctica has all the cute little penguins."

"I think you've seen Happy Feat one too many times, Lilly-pop," said Oliver.

"But they're so adorable, Olie-pop," said Lilly.

"Can we focus for a second?" Miley asked, "I need to think."

"Stay and fight," said Ryoga.

"Run and hide," said Kodatchi.

"Can't we just call in the army or something?" Olette asked, "or some kind of professional?"

"Wait, that's it," said Miley as she pulled out her cell phone, "call in the professionals." She then hit a speed dial number on her phone, "it's me, I need your guys help, big time…you already know?…oh, that's right, you guys have your own psychics."

"Who's she calling?" Pence asked.

"The Watchtower Initiative," said Rosalie, "their psychics with the gift of foresight have been warned of the coming crisis, albeit only we arrived on this world."

"And you can hear what the guy is saying on the other end of the phone?" an amazed Mousse asked.

"Vampire senses," said a grinning Emmet, "got to love them."

"Okay," said Miley into the phone, "we'll be waiting…wait, what about Jackson?…You already picked him up?…are you sure he'll be alright if you leave him?…No?…okay, we'll be ready when you guys get here." the call ended and she pocketed the phone, "they're sending several cars over to take us all to a safe house in the mountains."

"Boy, those Watchtower guys sure work fast," said Lilly.

"When will they be here?" Jake asked.

"In less than ten minutes," said Miley, "So we'd better get packing."

"What for?" Hayner asked.

"We're going to be stuck in a safe house for who knows how long," said Miley as she and Lilly got up, "they already picked up my brother."

"Are you sure they couldn't leave him where he was?" Lilly asked, "I'd rather not be stuck with your brother for any amount of time."

"Me neither," said Oliver.

"Not to sound like a bad father," said Robbie Ray, "but Jackson is…well, difficult, sometimes."

"That's putting it mildly, daddy," said Miley. She looked at Hayner and the other offworlders, "my brother is from another world, for real."

"How anyone stand to live in such ickyness, I'll never know," said Oliver.

"What are you talking about?" Olette asked.

"Imagine a city dump," said Miley, "mixed with enough road kill to fill the Kentucky Derby. Put it together and you're halfway to Jackson's room."

"So that's what that stench is," said Rosalie as she sniffed the air and made a disgusted face, "and here I thought the house was built atop a toxic waste dump."

"I sometimes wonder if my son actually stored some toxic waste in his room," said Robbie Ray, "he actually kept it clean for a while, but I guess old habits die hard."

"Less talking, more packing," said Emmet, "I don't need Alice's visions to know that sooner or later, trouble will come."

* * *

><p><strong>…same world…a few minutes later…<strong>

The Dark Corridor opened up several miles down the beach from the Stewart residence. From it Xorat and Kiraxi walked out onto the surf as the tide began to come in.

"Disgusting world," said Xorat as he looked up at the moon, "to think that I came from such a place as this," he laughed cruelly, "and to think that back then all I cared about was changing my name, and I still need to kill my idiot godfather for running away from Maleficent."

"The little pervert?" Kiraxi asked, "yes, I…my progenitor remembered the Happosai. Sora saved Kairi from being molested by the little bastard," she smiled wickedly, "I ought to capture him alive, just to take back to Kairi and let them get 'reacquainted.' But that's for later."

"Yes, we have a wait to capture," said Xorat, "now, where is she?" he closed his eyes in concentration, "she is…moving…with several others. They're trying to go someplace safe."

"As if any place is safe from us," said Kiraxi, "come then, the hunt is on!"

* * *

><p><strong>…a back road outside L.A…<strong>

"I can't believe you packed your disguises," said Robbie Ray, "of all the things you'll need while in a safe house, your Hannah stuff would be about as useful as soap to a pig."

"Don't look at me, daddy," said Miley, "it was all Lilly's idea."

"If figured they couldn't hurt to have along," said Lilly.

Exactly when they said they would come, several cars, black Hummers to be exact, had arrived at the Stewart house, eight in total. Each Hummer had four men wearing black uniforms that had built in body armor and were armed with sub machineguns.

It was then decided in what cars Miley, her friends, father and protectors would go in…

The first car had Adam, Shampoo, Jean-Louise, Ryoga, Felicia and Mousse.

The second car had Julia, Tatewaki, Kyle, Kodatchi, Ian and Ukyo.

The third car had Miley, Robbie Ray, Jake, Lilly, Oliver and Emmet.

The fourth car had Rosalie, Hayner, Pence and Olette.

Those cars had a black uniformed driver and one more goon riding shotgun. Two more Hummers drove ahead of the four, with two more bringing up the rear.

"Exactly how much longer until we get to the safe house?" Oliver asked.

"We're three minutes and seventeen seconds closer than we were the last time you asked," said Emmet.

"How'd you know that? Lilly asked, "you don't have a watch."

"And I didn't see you look at your cell phone," said Miley.

"That's one cool thing about vampires," said Emmet as he tapped his head, "we always keep perfect time in here."

Just then a side panel in the car beeped. Miley remembered that each Hummer had speaker phones that allowed them to keep in touch with each other.

"Miley," said Ollete, "you and the others okay?"

"We're fine so far," said Miley, "just fretful as a cow getting milked in the middle of February."

"I don't mean any disrespect," said Pence, "but why do you keep making those…well…why do you talk like that?"

"Like what?" Miley asked.

"Do you find something strange about the way my daughter talks?" Robbie Ray asked.

"No," said Pence, "it's just that, wait, what's the word I'm looking for? When you say something but use different words for it but it means the same thing."

"Metaphors?" Olette asked.

"Yeah, that's it!" said Pence.

"It's just something me and my family do," said Miley, "like, oh, 'you can buy a thirsty man a cow and he'll have all the milk he'll want, but he still won't have enough to wash down his cookies.'"

"One of my favorites," said Robbie Ray.

"Huh?" Hayner, Pence, Olette, Rosalie, and Emmet all asked.

"Ya'll wouldn't last two minutes in Tennessee," said Miley.

"We pretty much adapted," said Ryoga.

"Well, I guess that makes you special," said Rosalie.

Just then there came the sound of a large explosion. Miley and the others in the car were rocked about as the driver slammed on the breaks of the Hummer.

"What in the Sam Hill was that?" Robbie Ray asked.

"The front car blew up!" said Mousse, "even I saw that, and I was cleaning my glasses at the time."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Hayner.

Just then came another explosion, this one from behind.

"That was the rear Hummer," said Adam.

"What is this?" Kodatchi asked in a frantic tone, "what's going on? I don't like not knowing what's happening!"

Then came a third explosion, from the front again.

"Those were black flames!" said Kyle, "Saints preserve us! Those black flames came out of nowhere and blew up the car!"

"It's Xorat and Kiraxi!" said Emmet, "they've found us!"

* * *

><p>"Excellent shooting," said Xorat as he and Kiraxi stood on a small hill overlooking the road. From this position, the two villains had the perfect vantage point to attack the Hummer caravan.<p>

"Flattery will get you nowhere," said Kiraxi as she tossed a black fireball up and down in her hand.

"I was only congratulating you on three successful kills," said Xorat, "just so long as you are sure you didn't kill the princess."

"I'm certain that the waif is in one of the middle cars," said Kiraxi, "as well as the more challenging of her protectors. Now, just one more car full of disposable goons," she looked on the last car in the caravan, winded up and threw the fireball. The black flames hit the Hummer and blew it up in a flash of ignited gasoline and shattering metal and glass.

"Now to go down and get rough," said Kiraxi. She then pulled out the jet injector, "I only hope they're worth my time."

"Same with me," said Xorat.

They jumped down from the hill and stalked towards the remaining Hummers, the scene brightly lit by the four burning cars.

But then the Neon Knights got out of their cars, while their drivers also got out and took out their machineguns and aimed them at the two villains.

"No!" said Adam to the W.I. goons, "don't waste your lives. These two will kill you as soon as look at you."

"How right you are!" said Xorat. He then shot two beams of crimson energy at two of the W.I. goons, killing them instantly, then killed the other suits.

"That was uncalled for, you uncouth cad!" snapped Tatewaki.

"Of course it was," said Xorat, "my colleague here got to destroy four cars, so I got to kill four humans, balancing the score."

"Actually," said Kiraxi, "the cars had about four humans in them, so I'm up by twelve."

"In that case," said Xorat as he eyed the twelve martial artists, "I'll raise my score here and now, if you don't mind sitting this bit out."

"By all means, play till you've had your fill," said Kiraxi, "but the princess is mine."

"You! Evil girl!" snapped Shampoo, "you look like Kairi, but you not Kairi!"

"The resemblance is uncanny," said Kodatchi, "and chilling at that too."

And Pantyhose Taro," said Ryoga as he glared at Xorat, "I'll admit, I liked you better when you could turn into a monster."

"He's a real monster now," said Mousse as he straightened his glasses.

At that Xorat looked like he was ready to punch a hole in a wall out of sheer frustration, "Pantyhose Taro no longer exists. I am Xorat."

"And I am Kiraxi," said the vile biot, "nice to meet you all."

"We already know who you are," said Rosalie, "everyone get ready to hold on."

"For what?" Miley asked.

"To your seatbelts when we make a run for it," said Emmet, "as soon as things get rough outside."

"I thought things were rough already," said Lilly.

"It could get worse," said Emmet.

"You play nice now," said Kiraxi to Xorat and the Neon Knights, "I have my own errand to run." She took a step forward to the two rear hummers still standing.

"Not gonna happen," said Ian. Just then the two Hummers took off like ruptured ducks. Tires squealed as the cars accelerated off into the night, reaching speeds exceeding 300 MPH within seconds.

* * *

><p>"How can a car like this be able to go so fast?" Lilly asked nervously as she, Miley, Robbie Ray, Jake and Oliver held on for their lives, while in the other car Hayner, Pence and Olette did the same. Emmet and Rosalie just sat there calmly, not caring that the cars were driving at well over 300 miles per hour.<p>

"I could be wrong," said Jake, "but I think these Hummers have Turbo Boosters, complete with computer coordinated cruise control."

"It'd be cool if I weren't so scared," said Olette.

"I feel like I'm going to throw up!" said Pence.

"Just don't do it on me!" said Rosalie.

"Are we still going to the safe house?" Robbie Ray asked.

"That's the general idea," said Emmet.

* * *

><p>"Oh no you don't!" shouted Kiraxi. She then ran after the two fleeing Hummers like a bat out of hell.<p>

"Hey!" shouted Xorat, "i'm supposed to go after the princess, not you!" but by then Kiraxi was out of earshot.

"Damn, that crazy witch can run," said Kyle.

"We can't let her catch up with Miley and the others!" said Ukyo.

"I think not!" said Xorat, "I am your opponent now."

"Actually," said Felicia as she pulled out a pair of foot-long oak sticks and assumed a fighting stance, "I'm your opponent now!"

"We all are!" said Adam as he and the other Neon Knights assumed fighting stances.

"It's time we finished you off, Pantyhose Taro," said Ukyo as she pulled out her oversized spatula, "you harassed us back in Nermia time and time again, but no more!"

"You focused your rage of your humiliating name on us who bare this horrible curse," said Mousse, "especially Ranma."

"Let's not forget that Happosai was the source of the humiliation," said Kodatchi.

"But even though you have a new name," said Felicia, "you still are an enemy."

"He's worse than that," said Julia, "he's a perversion of everything that makes a martial artist; courage, honor, integrity, discipline just to name a few."

"He was an unscrupulous bastard before he lost his heart," said Ryoga.

"In that case, it won't make any difference," said Adam, "right now, all that matters is that we protect our princess."

"That's where you're wrong!" said Xorat, "Kiraxi will shread anyone stupid enough to stand between her and the little bitch."

"Don't talk that way about Miley!" said Ian.

"I'll say anything I want," smirked Xorat, "and there's nothing you or anyone else can do to stop me. Even if by some miracle you defeat me, highly unlikely that is, you'll never stop Kiraxi."

"You'd be surprised what the scientists in the W.I.'s research department can come up with," said Jean-Louse, "so let's stop talking and fight already! _Allons-y_!"

"Gladly!" said Xorat. He then rushed at Jean-Louse and aimed a punch at her indented to rip her head off. She barely dodged it and struck back with a high kick to Xorat's head. The Nobody blocked it, then kicked back at Jean-Louise.

Ryoga then jumped in, swinging his umbrella like a sword, while Tatewaki attacked with his kendo sword. Xorat blocked both weapons, then struck back with beams of crimson energy.

Tatewaki jumped out of the way, but Ryoga blocked the beam with his umbrella. The umbrella caught fire, so he threw it at the vile Nobody, who swatted it out of the air.

Ryoga jumped up, grabbed several bandanas from his head and threw them at Xorat like they were shuriken. Xorat caught them all and ripped them apart. He then dodged Felicia as she rushed in with her sticks, then ducked several hook-ended chains from Moose.

Xorat then ducked out of the way of an elbow strike from Julia, then jumped away from Shampoo and her war clubs. He then winced from the sound of Kodatchi's mad laughter as the gymnast sent her razor-edged ribbon at him. He dodged it, then jumped out of the way as Kyle rushed in to grab him in a submission move.

He dodged Ian's attempt to grab him in a judo throw, then jumped out of the way of a kick from Adam.

"He's wicked fast, I'll admit," said Kyle.

"I'm just getting warmed up!" snapped Xorat. He then punched Kyle in the face, then kicked Ian in the chest, followed by punching both Felicia and Julia in the head, then kicked Mousse, Ryoga, Tatewaki, Kodatchi and Shampoo in the head. He then picked up Jean-Louise and threw her at Ukyo, then finished by tossing Adam into the air, jumping up and delivering a kick that slammed Adam into the ground.

"Let that be a lesson to you," said Xorat as he casually brushed his hands, "never mess with the darkness."

"You mean never mess with the light," said Adam as he and the other Neon Knights got up, "we are far from done here!"

"That hardly hurt at all," said Mousse.

"I've been through worse," said Ryoga.

"Same here, boyo," said Kyle.

"As if a love tap like that would keep me down," said Kodatchi.

"If the maniac wanted to play rough," said Tatewaki, "then by all means, let us indulge him in rough play!"

"You want it to get rough?" Xorat asked, "alright, let's get rough!" He then rushed at Tatewaki and aimed a fury of punches at the egotistic kendoist. Tatewaki managed to block and parry each punch thrown at him.

"Is that all that thou hast to offer?" he asked, "then permit me to repay two fold! Have at thee!" he then went on the offensive, striking back with a fury of sword strokes so fast that they were little more than blurs and now it was Xorat's turn to block.

"Mind if I share this dance?" Koratchi asked as she jumped in with a pair of gymnastic clubs in her hands, "Rythimic Gymnastic Martial Arts Technique: Strike of a Thousand Clubs!" she then attacked, striking at Xorat with her clubs so fast that it gave the illusion that there were 1000 clubs instead of just two.

The fury of attacks from the Kuno siblings was so tremendous that Xorat was hit more than a few times, delivering several cuts.

Mousse then swung a large spiked metal ball attacked to a long chain at the vile Nobody, bashing him in the head, followed by a knee strike to the solar plexus from Julia, a kick to the head from Jean-Louise, a punch to the head from Ryoga, a karate punch to the chest from Ian and a straight heel kick to the torso from Kyle. Felicia then jumped in and slammed her sticks onto both of Xorat's shoulders with enough force to break the bones. Ukyo then jumped in with her huge spatula and swung it at Xorat's head, connecting with a massive 'Clang!' that sent the vile Nobody nearly off balance.

"And here's the finisher!" shouted Adam as he ran up to Xorat, "No Shadow Kick!" he jumped into the air and delivered several flying kicks to the vile nobody that were so fast their shadow couldn't be seen.

This last attack finally knocked Xorat on the ground.

"Does thou see now, Pantyhose Taro?" Tatewaki asked, "thine darkness is no match for our light!"

"So crawl back to the freaking pit you came from already!" said Felicia.

"Tempting," said Xorat as he got up, apparently unharmed, "but I'm not in the mood."

"No way," said a shocked Julia, "this bloke is unreal."

"Have a taste of reality!" shouted Xorat. He then rose up into the air and began charging up a massive amount of crimson energy.

"Falling back would be a good idea right about now," said Ryoga.

"Yes, a very good idea," said Kyle.

"Not this year!" snapped Xorat. He then sent out his blast of crimson energy, the dark force hitting all twelve of the Neon Knights and knocking them flat on their backs, delivering massive amounts of damage to the martial artists.

"Now stay down already!" snapped Xorat as he landed.

"No!" said Adam as he got back up, singed, cut and bruised all over, but still ready to keep fighting.

"If he can keep going," said an equally rough-up Ryoga, "then so can I!" One by one the other Neon Knights stood up and got ready for another round of fighting.

"You people just don't know when you're beat, do you," said Xorat, "face it! I'm the superior martial artist here!"

"Liar!" spat Adam, "you're not martial artist! Not a real one anyway."

"Oh yes I am," said Xorat.

"You think you're a true martial artist, Pantyhose Taro," said Adam, his eyes blazing with righteous fury, "but the truth is that you are a disgrace to martial artists everywhere! You have squandered the gifts given to you! Your physical prowess, your manhood, your sanity, your very life! You've thrown all of these away for evil, and that was when you were still human. Now, you're just a mess of a man. No, you're less than that; you're a Nobody, and I mean that in the sense that you are _nothing_!"

"I'm more than a man," said Xorat, "more than a Nobody! I am a true servant of the mistress of all evil! I am darkness incarnate! I am a god!"

"And they say I am mad," said Kodatchi.

"We can argue this over and over until the cows come home," said Adam, "so we might as well finish it here and now!" he then assumed a fighting stance with his left hand held straight out in a fist, while his right hand was held up behind his hand with his fingers in a claw formation.

At that Shampoo, Ukyo, Ian, Felicia and the other Neon Knights gasped in shock.

"_Mon Dieu_!" exclaimed Jean-Louise, "_c'est impissible_!"

"That stance," said Royga, "how can he know _that_?"

"Did you know he knew _that_?" Mousse asked Shampoo.

"No," said the purple-haired Amazon, "Shampoo had no idea true love Adam knew _that_."

"I don't understand," said Kyle, "what's with that stance?"

"That because you no familiar with ancient Chinese legends," said Shampoo

"There's an old story of Kung Fu techniques to powerful," said Ryoga, "so deadly, that their use have been marked forbidden. It is the highest level of techniques, nearly impossible to master, but whoever does master it has the power to kill his opponent with one hit."

"_Dim Mak_," said Tatewaki, "Sir Adam is going to attempt a Death Touch."

At that Xorat laughed cruelly, "is that it then? The great spokesman of the Shaolin Path, indenting to destroy me with a single blow."

"Even we of Shaolin know that there are times when evil cannot be swayed," said Adam, "that it must be destroyed, to save the good. I'll do whatever I have to do to keep Miley away from the darkness!"

"Then kill me!" said Xorat as he boldly stood there with his arms held out, inviting Adam to attack, "use your Death Touch on me, if you have what it takes," he smiled wickedly, "but I sincerely doubt you have the guts to take a life, even one so wicked as mine."

"You'd be surprised what I can do when motivated!" said Andrew, "you want to see my Death Touch? Here's my Death Touch! Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Attack!" He then seemed to vanish, only to reappear within arms reach of Xorat. He then jabbed the vile Nobody four times with his fingertips in Xorat's chest in different areas, then finished with a jab that turned into a twisting move.

Xorat was forced back several paces and coughed up some blood.

"I've signed your death sentence," said Andrew, "as soon as you take five forward paces, your heart will explode."

"A brilliant move," said Xorat, "one that would have finished me off," he then walked forward five paces and smiled viciously, "fortunately I don't have a heart!"

"Well, that's not right," said a dumbfounded Adam.

"Perhaps you should use a Death Touch move that aims for the head, boyo," said Kyle.

"Good idea," said Ryoga, "I'm willing to see if my _Bakusai Tenketsu _works on a Nobody."

"It couldn't hurt to try," said Felicia, "since according to what Sora and the others told us, Nobodies aren't really people."

"Forgive me for not giving you the chance," said Xorat. He then smiled wickedly, "raging storm." His whole body exploded with energy as Maleficent's spell activated.

"I think we're up a certain creek without a paddle," said a nervous Kyle.

"You're not kidding!" said a viciously grinning Xorat as his crimson battle aura, amplified by Maleficent's dark magic, light up the light. He then seemed to vanish, only to stop at each of the Neon Knights and delivered a vicious combination of punches and kicks to each of them, then returned to his original position, all in the blink of an eye.

All at once, Adam and the other martial artists fell to the ground, groaning in agony. Some of them had fractured bones across various parts of their bodies, while all of them were severely bruised and cut, bleeding freely in some places.

"Oh, this is bad," said groaned Ukyo as she held her left hand to her right arm at a pressure point to stop her forearm from bleeding.

"It's gone way beyond bad," said Mousse as he checked to see if his right leg was still there, which it was, but boy did it hurt.

"Now you know what you are dealing with," said Xorat, "now stay down so I can finish you."

"Never!" said Adam as he struggled to get back up, followed by Shampoo, Felicia, Mousse and the others. "We'll never give up!"

"We'll fight to the death to keep Princess Miley safe!" said Julia, "as long as we've got breath in our bodies and blood flowing in our veins, we'll fight you, you steaming pile of dingo dung!"

"What she said!" said Ryoga as he and the others finished pulling themselves together and assumed their fighting stances. They didn't care that they were half dead from their various wounds, or at least a third of the way dead, just so long as there was a chance they would defeat Xorat. If there was a chance, they would take it all the way.

"I was hoping you'd say that," said Xorat, "to finish you off quickly would be boring, especially when some of you have so much history with me," he looked at Royga, Shampoo and Mousse, "I feel like I owe you three something, in terms of a final humiliation!"

Without warning, he summoned three black water balloons and threw them at Ryoga, Shampoo and Mousse. The balloons burst as they hit their targets, drenching the three with cold water. In the blink of an eye they were in their cursed forms; Mousse becoming a white duck wearing glasses, Shampoo becoming a lilac-colored cat with some of her fur done up in forward facing ponytails, and Ryoga became a black piglet with his yellow and black bandana around his neck.

At that the nine Neon Knights still human all blinked in shock at the sudden turn of events. The Kunos and Ukyo were used to the cursed forms of their fellow fighters from Nermia, while Adam and the others had time to adjust, but it was still shocking to see their friends and loved ones turned into animals all of a sudden.

But then Xorat's cruel laughter brought all of the Neon Knights back to reality, "oh this is perfect," said the vile Nobody, "I spent so much of my human life relishing in the power of my cursed form, when true power was just beyond my reach; all I had to do was lose my heart.

"You bastard!" snapped Jean-Louise, "_Vous le fils d'une chèvre sans mère et d'un enfer avez engendré le démon_!"

"That's right," said Kodatchi, "he is the son of a hell-spawned demon and a goat."

"A motherless goat," said Jean-Louise.

"That too," said Kodatchi.

"Who's got the hot water?" Adam asked, "I know we had a thermos filled with hot water when we left the Stewart house."

"I think we left it in the car," said Felicia.

"Just try and get past me," said Xorat. Before anyone could react he ran up and grabbed Ryoga, Shampoo and Mousse and held them up like the helpless animals they were, "Take one step, any of you, and I'll crush the life out of these miserable pests!"

But then the three cursed martial artists proved that they were far from helpless. Mousse sent a scythe attacked to a chain out of his left wing down to Xorat's foot. The blade pierced the boot of the vile Nobody and exited the sole of the boot, slicing through flesh and bone along the way.

Xorat shouted in agony as Mousse pulled the chain back into his wing feathers, ripping more damage into Xorat's foot along the way. Shampoo then scratched and bit Xorat's hand, forcing the vile Nobody to release all three cursed martial artists. Ryoga then ran up Xorat's arm and bit and scratched him on the face.

"You little bastards!" snapped Xorat, "I'll crush you all into slime!"

Just then from out of nowhere came three globs of steaming water that hit Ryoga, Shampoo and Mousse in turn, returning them to their human forms.

"Where'd that hot water come from?" Ian asked as Adam helped Shampoo get up, while Felicia helped Mousse and Jean-Louise tacked and hugged Ryoga.

"I threw them!" said an irate female voice. There atop the hill stood none other than Akane Tendo, former fiancée of Ranma. In her hands were three empty kettles that held the hot water.

"Akane!" said Ryoga, "what…what are you doing here?"

"I had a sudden feeling that I was needed," said Akane. She jumped down the hill and landed next to the other Neon Knights, "I was at the family dojo, teaching my class, when I felt that you guys were going to be in trouble, so I got on the first flight to L.A. that I could, and here I am."

"But how did you afford to pay for a trans-ocean flight at such short notice?" Mousse asked.

"I've got 3 regular classes six days a week," said Akane, "with an average of 50 students each. I'm earning more money running the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts myself since taking over the dojo, than my father did in all his life."

"And all because of Sora and his friends," said Adam, "fate, it's fate."

"Oh, before I forgot," said Akane as she reached into her pockets and pulled out several High Potions, "I had these specially made for my classes, but they'll help here."

"I can hardly believe mine eyes and ears," said Tatewaki as Adam dolled out the healing items to the Neon Knights and they drank their fill, healing their wounds within seconds, "I was drawn to the fair Akane Tendo out of ignorance and self deceit, but now I see the truth; she doth be a kind and caring lady whom cares dearly for her friends."

"Now that she's had the worst of her darkness purged from her," said Julia, "all thanks to Sora."

"I am so sick of Sora!" snapped Xorat, "Sora this and Sora that! It makes me want to heave!"

"Then heave too and be gone with ye, you flaming bastard!" said Kyle.

"You'll all die for this!" snapped Xorat, "starting with you, Akane Tendo! I'll rip your soul out and eat it! Raging Storm!" His enhanced battle aura flared up and he rushed headlong towards Akane, whom merely stood her ground with her hands behind her back.

But then Akane pulled out a large wooden mallet that had '20 tones' printed on it. She then swung the oversized war hammer at Xorat, who had gotten too close to change course. The mallet slammed into his head and forced him to the ground.

Not one to give up a golden opportunity, Ukyo slammed her spatula into Xorat's prone body, while Ryoga retrieved his umbrella and slammed that into Xorat as well. The other Neon Knights then took turns stomping the vile Nobody, until they were sure that he had stopped moving.

"Well, that was…exciting," said Ukyo as they all stood back from the now still Xorat.

"I call it insane," said Ian, "but that's just my lill' opinion."

"What the hell are we standing around here for?" Felicia asked, "we've got to find Miley!"

"One second," said Adam as he got his cell phone out, "I'm actually amazed this survived the fight," he then activated an app on it, "lucky that the W.I. installed a tracking device on Miley's phone," the GPS feature then started beeping, "she's this way! If we hurry, we can catch up!"

"How?" Felicia asked, "the drivers for the Hummers are gone, and I can't drive."

"Where are they?" Mousse asked as he straightened his glasses.

"I think they ran to the hills," said Ryoga, "that's understandable under the circumstances."

"Well that doesn't help those of us who don't know how to drive," said Felicia.

"I know how to drive alright," said Kyle.

"So do I," said Adam.

"Is there nothing true love Adam can't do?" Shampoo asked.

"Not that I don't know," said Adam, "I haven't learned how to fly a space shuttle."

"Never mind that," said Akane, "we've got a princess to save!"

"Right!" said all twelve of the Neon Knights. They all piled into the two remaining Hummers, with Akane riding shotgun in the one Adam drove and they speed after Miley and the others.

But then Xorat got up and glared after the fleeing Hummers with murder in his eyes.

* * *

><p>"We're here!" said the driver as the two Hummers pulled to a stop beside what appeared to be the entrance to an abandoned mineshaft.<p>

"This is your idea of a safe house?" Miley asked, "'cause it looks to me that someone is a few eggs short of a dozen."

"Apparently it's not crazy, Miles," said Robbie Ray as they all got out of the Hummers, "at least I hope not."

"What is this?" Hayner asked as he, Pence and Olette looked at the mineshaft "why are we here?"

"This isn't my idea of a safe house," said Pence.

"I think it's more than it seems," said Olette.

"It's a lot more than that," said Rosalie, "I heard the conversation over the phone. It only looks like an abandoned mine from the outside."

"It'd better be more than that," said Jake, "if only for Miley's sake."

As it turned out, the safe house was much more than a safe house, it was a fortress. The Watchtower Initiative had installed in the mineshaft several large metal doors that had enough strength to endure a 20 megatone nuclear blast. There were eight doors in all, leading down to a large chamber at the bottom of the shaft. The chamber was built like a large bomb shelter, but with every conceivable modern convenience; well lit with 'green' bulbs, a big screen TV, several comfortable chairs and couches, a fully stocked kitchen with enough food and water to last years, a small library of books, DVD's and CD's and several bedrooms, each with it's own bathroom.

Already sitting in front of the TV was Miley's slacker brother, Jackson, and several quart-sized ice-cream containers and a large bottle of chocolate sauce. "About time you guys showed up," said Jackson, "I was just about to check to see if we have bananas and whipped cream."

"I'll cream you!" said and irate Miley, "I've been scared half to death by all of this, and you're sitting here gorging yourself on ice cream?"

"Don't you even care that our lives are in mortal danger?" Oliver asked.

"Or are you so selfish that you don't care that your sister is on the verge of being abducted again?" Robbie Ray asked.

"What they said," remarked Lilly.

"Oh, we're fine," said Jackson, "those W.I. guys said that those doors have all these automatic defenses, and there'll be loads of guards at each door. There's no way any psycho chick with a black sword is going to get in."

"You mean a dark Keyblade," said Pence, "we've seen it, it's not a pretty site."

"Well excuse me for seeing the bright side of life," said Jackson, "and who are you guys?"

"Friends of Sora," said Pence, "and Riku, Kairi and Aiden."

"How is that guy?" Jackson asked, "I still owe him for taking Rico to the cleaners during the tournament."

"In trouble," said Rosalie. She and Emmet then introduced themselves to Jackson, "just so you'll know, we're vampires."

"That's right, Jackson," said Miley in a sly tone, "we're stuck in here with vampires. Doesn't that bother you at all?"

"Nope," said Jackson as he helped himself to more ice cream, "I'm too cool to be bitten by vampires. And the W.I. guys said that they only drink animal blood," he then saw that the current ice cream container was empty, "oh, did any of you want some?"

"I hope you get the mother of all brain freezes!" said Miley.

"I hope you get the mother of all brain freezes!" said Jackson in a mocking tone.

"I hope you get the mother of all brain freezes!" said Miley in a mocking tone.

"My children," said Robbie Ray in a regretful tone, "oh lord, where did I go wrong?"

"They're just victims of their time," said Rosalie.

"And how would you know?" Jackson asked.

"I've been immortal since the 1930's," said Rosalie, "and have been through high school far too many times than I'd like to count. Just going through once is enough to wear anyone down."

Just then there came the sound of the eight doors slamming shut one after another.

"And that means we're, hopefully, safe," said Jake.

"At least they've got air conditioner here," said Lilly as she felt a nearby air vent, "with a lemon scent."

"Lemons and limes," said Rosalie as she sniffed the air, "with just a hint of peppermint."

But then came the faint sound of gunfire that quickly fell silent. Then came the sound of metal being ripped apart. Then came slightly louder gunfire, which quickly fell silent, then another sound of metal being ripped apart.

"Those aren't good sounds," said a nervous Pence.

"Ya' think?" Miley asked.

One by one the defensive lines had been breached, with short bursts of gunfire cut off and another door being ripped open. Finally came the eighth series of gunfire was silence, then the door was ripped open.

There stood Kiraxi, her clothes spotted with the blood of the guards, and a vicious smile on her face, "Hello, Miley," she said, "it's been a while."

"You're not Kairi!" said Miley, "you may look like her, but you're not my friend!"

"Well, that's disappointing," pouted Kiraxi, "I'd hope that I would be able to trick you into thinking that I was Kairi, just to mess with you. Thanks for ruining my fun, bitch."

"You can't talk to my daughter like that!" shouted Robbie Ray, "I don't give a hootin' spark who you are, I won't let you use such language."

"Shut your pie hole, you used up has-been," said Kiraxi, "I'm taking the bitch, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"We can!" said Emmet as he and Rosalie got in front of Miley in a defensive manner, while Hayner, Pence and Olette got their weapons out.

At that Kiraxi laughed cruelly, "as if you other losers can stop me! In fact, I'll give you a chance to do so."

"What?" Emmet asked.

"That's right," said Kiraxi, "I'll give you one chance to defeat me," she held out her arms, "so come and get me, tough guy. Go on, bite me, if you dare."

"Don't do it, man!" said Hayner, "it's a trap, it's got to be!"

"My gut says that it's a trap too," said Pence.

"Well I'm not one to let a golden opportunity slip through my fingers," said Emmet. He glared at Kiraxi, "you want to die so badly? It's okay with me!" He ran up to Kiraxi and bit her on the wrist, sinking his teeth deep into her biot flesh.

But Kiraxi laughed it off like it was a love tap, "stop it, that tickles," she then punched Emmet in the face, forcing him off of her.

Rosalie caught Emmet, who was spitting out Kiraxi's blood, "you taste awful!"

"And you're a horrible kisser," said Kiraxi as she looked at her wrist wound, which was healing rapidly.

"She's immune to vampire venom," said an astonished Rosalie, "but…she wasn't like that before."

"I'm new and improved," said Kiraxi, "and here's the best part," she pulled out the jet injector and placed it to her neck.

"What's that?" Olette asked.

"What some might call overkill," said Kiraxi, "but I call it fun!" she then injected the dose of Formula X-35 into her system.

"Oh great," said Hayner, "now she's a junkie as well."

"I'm no junkie," said Kiraxi, "I'm your executioner," the veins around her eyes became distended and her black fire battle aura began to flare up, "oh yeah," she said in a slightly raspy tone, "keep those eyes open!" But then she just stood there, relishing in the high that the drug was giving her.

"I think we should get out of here," said Jake.

"how?" Oliver asked, "she's in front of the only way out?"

"There's an escape pod in the back," said Jackson, "the W.I. guys explained it to me."

"Jackson, you might just have made up for every irresponsible thing you've ever done in your life," said Robbie Ray.

"I aim to please," said Jackson.

"You mortals get out of here then," said Emmet, "we'll hold the junkie off."

"No way!" said Olette, "we can't let you face this maniac alone!"

"Don't argue!" said Rosalie, "go before she decides to attack!"

Not wanting to argue, Miley, Jake, Lilly, Oliver, Jackson, Robbie Ray, Hayner, Pence and Olette nodded their thanks to Rosalie and Emmet and headed for the back of the shelter.

"Well," said Rosalie to Emmet, "it's been wonderful."

"Living forever with you has been incredible," said Emmet, "but immortality can be a bit boring sometimes."

"That's more like Edward's way of thinking," said Rosalie, "before Bella came into our lives."

"Oh yes," said Kiraxi, "I just remembered, I totally destroyed Bella not too long ago."

"What?" Both Rosalie and Emmet exclaimed.

"Made you look!" shouted Kiraxi as she summoned her Black Keyblade, which was also engulfed in her black fire. She rushed at the two vampires and before they could react, she had them both on the ground severely scorched and missing a few pieces.

"I'll finish you both later," said Kiraxi, "now where are the others?" She then herd the sound of a very fast object moving upwards. She went to the back of the shelter and saw an empty escape hatch that was actually one big pneumatic tube that forced an escape pod back to the surface.

"Run all you want," said Kiraxi, "there's no escape from me!" her black fire aura flared up again and she jumped into the escape tube, using the compressed air flow to fly up to the surface, leaving Emmet and Rosalie to slowly pull themselves together.

* * *

><p>The escape pod blasted out of a concealed hatch, flew over twenty feet into the air before landing hard on the ground and bouncing several times. Fortunately the inside of the pod was cushioned so the occupants were just rattled a bit by the hard landing.<p>

"That would have been fun if things weren't so serious," said Hayner as the fugitives exited the escape pod.

"What now?" Lilly asked, "the underground safe house didn't work. What's next? A safe house on another planet?"

"That's not a bad idea," said Pence, "I think we should head back to Twilight Town."

"That might just work," said Olette.

"What just a dang second here," said Robbie Ray, "it's one thing that my daughter had to run for it, and us innocent bystanders had to run as well, now you want to go to some other planet in another universe? I draw the line at that."

"But it's the only way left," said Jake, "the only way to keep Miley safe. If the Watchtower Initiative couldn't help us, then nothing in this world can."

"But what makes you think that we'll be safe on the other world?" Oliver asked, "didn't Sora and the others lose on that world as well?"

"Oh, right," said Hayner, "I forgot about that."

"Can I just get a word in here for a second?" Miley asked, "it's my life after all."

"You can say whatever you want, miles," said Robbie Ray.

"Just so long as it involves more running," said Jackson, "hopefully to Guam."

"Why don't you go to Guam if you want to so badly?" Miley asked, "as for me, I'm tired of running."

Just then Kiraxi shot out of the escape hatch and flew up into the air, blazing like a dark comet. She landed a few yards from Miley and the others, "ah, there you are. Thanks for saving me the trouble of having to run after you. Now," she took a step forward, "who's going to die first?"

"Why don't you pick on someone else?" Oliver asked.

"Why do you have to talk?" Kiraxi asked irately. She then ran up to Oliver and before he had a chance to run, she grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him into the air, "why is it that there are annoying loser sidekicks to piss me off?"

"Oww!" exclaimed Oliver, "watch the chest hair!"

"I'll chest hair you!" snapped Kiraxi. She then tossed Oliver over his shoulder and he landed hard in the bush several yards away.

"Olie-pop!" shouted Lilly.

"You're next, blondie!" snapped Kiraxi as she ran up to Lilly, grabbed her and tossed her away, then focused her rage on Jackson and Robbie Ray, "and you losers too!" she then grabbed both Robbie Ray and Jackson and threw them away.

Kiraxi then focused on Jake, "and you too, pretty boy!"

But then Xorat ran into the area, "wait!" he shouted, "the princess! Focus on the brat!"

"What are you talking about?" Kiraxi asked, "and where the hell have you been?"

"I was busy fighting my former enemies and their pathetic friends," said Xorat, "things got a little rough, for all of us, especially after that uncute tomboy Akane Tendo showed up," he rubbed his neck, "that uncute bitch can really swing a hammer. Anyway, the fools tracked the princess, so I ran ahead of them once I knew what direction they were going. But then I had pretty much exhausted the spell and it needs time to recharge. I'd say I have about a five minute head start on the losers, so let's just grab the waif and go, this world bores me."

"I think not," said Kiraxi, "I'm still eager to do a savage burn on this world," she glared at Jake, Hayner, pence and Olette, "I'm going to char these idiots to a crisp!"

"No!" shouted Miley, "you leave my friends alone!"

"Too late, bitch!" snapped Kiraxi, "they're mine!" she then shot a stream of black fire at Jake, Hayner, pence and Olette.

Pence got in front of the group and held his shields up to block the black flames. Almost instantly the metal of the shields began to overheat. The grips on the shields were insulated but only for so much. Within seconds Pence's hands began to burn.

Olette countered with a shield spell that absorbed the worst of the black fire, then cast a heal spell on Pence's hands, "thanks!" said Pence.

"Anytime," said a grinning Olette.

"It won't do you any good!" snapped Kiraxi as she summoned her black Keyblade, "time to die!"

"You'll have to go through me first!" said Hayner as he held up his sword.

"Gladly!" said Kiraxi as her black fire aura flared up. She then zoomed past Hayner, delivering enough damage in one pass that knocked him down. Kiraxi then zoomed around Pence and Olette, hitting them so hard in one pass that they were also knocked down.

"And now for you, pretty boy," said Kiraxi as she glared at Jake, "your acting won't save you now."

"I'll die before I let you touch Miley," said Jake as he stood boldly between Kiraxi and Miley.

"That's the idea!" said a grinning Kiraxi.

"No!" said Miley, "I give up!"

"What?" Jake, Kiraxi and Xorat asked at the same time.

"I said I surrender," said Miley, "I don't want any more fighting, so I give up," she walked past Jake and looked Kiraxi square in the eye, "take me to your leader," she then held up her hands as if they were to be handcuffed.

At that Kiraxi's fire aura faded out and she had a look about her like a marijuana addict whom was coming down from a high. "Oh, now that's not right," she said in a slightly slurred tone, "now there you go and ruin my buzz."

"You took the drug, didn't you," said Xorat as he walked up and roughly grabbed Miley by the arm, "and now it's worn off."

"But that's not right," said Kiraxi, "I only took it a few minutes ago, man."

"You must have burned through it too quickly," said Xorat, "wait, I don't want to argue with you about this. We've got the girl, so let's go already." he summoned a Dark Corridor.

"Miley!" shouted Jake.

"It's going to be okay, Jake," said Miley. Even though she was scared half out of her wits, she still bravely smiled at her love, "it's going to be okay, I promise," she then winked at him, and somehow Jake got the idea. Without another word, Xorat forced Miley with him into the Dark Corridor.

"I ought to finish you flatliners off right here and now," said Kiraxi, "but I just don't feel like it," she walked to the Dark Corridor, "I've got a sudden craving for waffles and oysters," she stepped through and it closed up after her.

Jake just stood there for several minutes. Eventually Hayner, Pence and Olette pulled themselves together and got up, just as Robbie Ray, Jackson, Lilly and Oliver came back into the area, looking battered and bruised from being tossed about, but otherwise fine.

At the same time the Neon Knights and Akane ran into the area, as well as scores of reinforcements from the Watchtower Initiative.

"What happened?" Adam asked.

"They took her," said Jake, "they took Miley."

"Well that sucks," said a dumbstruck Ukyo.

"This sucks more than anything that has ever sucked in the world, mind you," said Kyle.

"But we're going to get her back," said Jake in a determined tone, "I mean it! I'll do whatever I have to do to save Miley."

"We're with you all the way, my friend!" said Ryoga, while the other Neon Knights nodded in agreement.

"Count me in," said Akane, "I still owe that jerk Xorat a favor, in the worst way."

* * *

><p><strong>…New Hollow Bastion…<strong>

"And that makes five, ladies and gentle demons!" said Gideon as the image of Miley was marked with a red X. He looked at Kairi, "not feeling so sure that your precious Sora is going to come and save you now?"

"He'll come," said Kairi, "I'm not giving up! I don't care what you throw at him; demons, Heartless, Nobodies, even junkie biots. When Sora comes, he'll stop at nothing to get to me!"

"Then he will die!" said Maleficent, "my swarm of Heartless grows by the minute! By the time all seven Princesses of Heart are gathered, I will have enough to swallow all of the realms in darkness, forever!"

"Can't wait to see how many you'll have when Lord Kira gets here," said Gideon, "not that we'll need Heartless after that."

"We shall see," said Maleficent as she observed Kiraxi and Xorat throw Miley into the cell with the other captured Princesses, "we shall see."

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry to say it," said Lyra as she helped Miley up off of the floor, "but welcome to the club."<p>

"Gee, thanks," said Miley, "are there any benefits in this club? Such as gas points on a credit card?"

"If only it were that pleasant," said Sara.

"Look on the bright side," said Violet, "now we've got five pairs of eyes looking for a way out of here that doesn't exist."

"There has to be a way out," said Nessie, "there's got to be," she looked at Miley, "oh, sorry, we should have introduced ourselves," she and the others gave their names to Miley, and she introduced herself as well.

"Now that we're all friends," said Nessie, "let's focus on finding a way out of here."

"I think we should take a break," said Violet, "you're not looking so good."

"I agree," said Pan, "I think you need to sit down for a while, Nessie."

"Talking fury animal say what?" a surprised Miley asked.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," said Lyra as she picked up Pan, "this is my daemon, my soul."

"Pantalimon at your service," said the pine martin daemon.

"Yeah, nice to meet you," said Miley, "now what's this about a way out?"

"The force field will probably kill you if you touch it," said Sara, "and there's an energy field in the cell that's draining our powers."

"Are you feeling any different, Miley?" Lyra asked, "any drain in energy or something like that?"

"I don't think so," said Miley in a thoughtful manner, "I'm a little tired from all the horrific excitement, and a little depressed, but other than that I'm as fit as a the fiddling cat playing for the cow about to jump over the moon."

"What?" Nessie, Lyra, Violet and Sara asked.

Miley looked at them in an understanding and apologetic manner, "ya'll wouldn't last two minutes in Tennessee."

"I've never been to Tennessee," said Nessie, "so I wouldn't know…" she eyes suddenly rolled up and she collapsed to the floor.

"Nessie!" exclaimed Lyra and Sara. The two of them grabbed the collapsed half vampire and helped her to one of the cots.

"Is she alright?" Violet asked.

"Did she just faint or something?" Miley asked.

"Or something," said Sara, "Nessie, can you hear me?"

Nessie then opened her eyes slowly. She looked around in confusion, "I…what happened?"

"You swooned on us," said Violet, "it was rather dramatic."

"I didn't mean to swoon," said Nessie as she sat up, "it's this damn energy field. It's messing with my mojo, you know what I mean?"

"I think so," said Sara. She then blinked and looked more closely at Nessie, "what the…?

"What?" Nessie asked, "what's wrong?"

Lyra looked more closely at Nessie, "either it's my imagination, or your eyes have changed color."

"They do seem more black than brown," said Violet.

"What are you talking about?" Nessie asked, "my eyes don't change color. My parent's eyes can change color, but only when they haven't had any blood for a while."

"Well they've changed alright," said Miley, "they were brown when I got here, now they're a lot darker."

Nessie got up and hurried to a mirror in the partitioned bathroom. Sure enough, her eyes had darkened halfway between her normal chocolate brown to coal black. "oh, this is bad," she said in a frantic tone, "this is very bad." Her hand went up to her throat as if it had suddenly became inflamed.

"But what does it mean?" Sara asked, "what's happening to you?"

"The energy field that's draining our powers," said Nessie in a slightly raspy tone, "it's weakening my human side and forcing my vampire half into overdrive. I haven't had fresh blood in a while, and my weakened state is accelerating my thrust."

"But what does it mean?" Miley asked.

"It means," said Nessie as she closed her eyes, trying to ignore the fact that her friends were now smelling rather desirable, in the wrong way that is, "that unless we find a way out of here soon, and I mean real soon, then our troubles will really begin."

* * *

><p><strong>…The White Room…The Old Mansion…Twilight Town…<strong>

"So now it's my turn, right?" Riku asked as he sat in front of Edward, with Sora, Tess and Young Watari sitting to the side.

"I'm afraid so," said Edward, "I want to try a different hypnosis technique, for you may now be immune to the first one I used since you saw it."

"Alright," said Riku, "what do I do?"

"Just sit and relax," said Edward as he pulled from his pocket a silver dollar, "and keep your eye on this coin," he held the coin atop the flat of his left hand. He then made the coin walk across his fingers. Back and forth again and again the coin walked, while Riku's eyes stayed focused on it.

After a minute or so Riku's eyes went out of focus and he closed his eyes and began breathing deeply and regulary.

"Is he under?" Tess whispered cautiously.

"Riku," said Edward, "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," said Riku in a flat, neutral tone.

"He's under," said Tess.

"Very well," said Edward, "Riku, when I count to three and clap my hands, you will wake up and remember everything we talked about here. Do you understand?"

"Yes," said Riku.

"Wait," whispered Sora as he tried not to laugh but wasn't succeeding very well, "I've got an idea."

"Don't even think about it," hissed Edward, "I'm about to go deep into his subconscious mind. The last thing Riku needs is for you to plant a suggestion for him to do something completely moronic on command."

"It's just a joke," said Sora, "and it'll only be a one time thing."

"What are you talking about?" Tess asked.

"Just watch and see," said a grinning Sora. He then spoke more loudly, "Riku, it's Sora, can you hear me?"

"Yes," said Riku.

Sora could barely contain his giggles, but he managed to speak clearly, "alright, Riku? This is something you won't remember talking about, but the next time someone asks you what time it is, you will shout out as loud as you can what you wanted for your 8th birthday but your parents said no for all the wrong reasons. Do you understand?"

"Yes," said Riku.

"This is a complete waste of time," said an annoyed Edward, "and his parents were right to deny him such a dangerous toy."

"It was only dangerous if used wrong," said Sora.

"For crying out loud," said an irate Tess, "what are you talking about?"

"It's just a toy gun that Riku wanted after seeing a movie that we liked," said Sora. "One more thing, Riku."

"I can't believe you're being this childish," said Edward.

"Well what's the point of growing up if you can't be childish every now and then?" Sora asked. He then spoke to Riku, "now, Riku, the next time you hear someone say a pasta dish, I want you to cluck like a chicken. You understand?"

"Yes," said Riku.

At that Sora looked at Edward, "okay, he's all yours."

"Thank you," said Edward stiffly. He then looked at Riku and spoke more casually, "now, Riku, I want you to remember the fight with Kiraxi, can you do that for me?"

"Yes," said Riku.

"I want you to focus only on the moment you fought her and she shattered your Keyblade," said Edward, "I want to know what was going through your mind."

At that Riku looked like he was remembering something really painful.

"What is it?" Tess asked, "what's his hurtful memory?"

"It's still unclear," said Edward, "Riku, I need you to think harder. What is it that you're afraid to face? What did you do? Was it something you said or heard?"

"No," said Riku, but it wasn't his normal voice, rather, it was as if he was speaking as a child, "don't do it! Don't go into the darkness!"

"Why not?" Edward asked, "what's in the darkness?"

"Evil!" said Riku, "evil! I know it's evil, but I want to know what's in it. I want to see what's beyond the world, and the darkness is the only way to go beyond the world. But it's evil! There's terrible things in the darkness! Don't go onto the pier! Don't go out to the island! Stay with Sora! Stay with Kairi!"

"Oh no," said Sora in a shocked tone, "I know what this is; he's remembering that day on the Island, the day the darkness came and swallowed our world, the day Kairi's heart got stuck inside of me and I got my Keyblade."

"It's also the day that Riku abandoned you for his own selfish desire to explore," said Edward as he heard Riku's thoughts, "deep in his mind and heart he knew what he was doing was wrong, that only pain and misery were what really lay in the darkness, yet he willingly stepped into it, leaving behind his friends, his family, his world and all that he knew was good and true."

Riku's face then twisted in pain, but then relaxed, "Sora's okay, he's okay, and if he's alright, then Kairi's okay too."

"He's remembering when you met up in Traverse Town after several days," said Edward.

"We sort of compared Keyblades then," said Sora, "but then I was talking with Donald and Goofy, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid and Leon about something, the next thing I knew, Riku was gone again."

"Don't go with her!" said Riku in his child voice, "don't go with that horrible woman! Can't you see she's evil? She'll only hurt you and make you hurt your friends!"

"Maleficent!" said Edward, "this is when Riku first truly joined forces with her."

"Stop it!" said child Riku, "leave that wooden boy alone!"

"When we were in Monstro and Riku kidnapped Pinocchio," said Sora.

"So what if he isn't really alive?" young Riku asked, "he never did anything to you! No! don't go! Don't leave Sora!" His face then twisted in pain again, "don't! Leave Kairi alone! She's hurt! She needs help! And stop messing with those dark creatures!"

"He's remembering Neverland," said Edward.

"When I saw that Kairi was alive but without her Heart," said Sora, "but I didn't realize how serious things were at that time. All I cared was that she was alive."

"No!" said Riku, "get away! Run away! Don't let Maleficent hurt me anymore! No! Get out of the darkness before it's too late! Don't let that horrible man into me!"

"Xehanort's Heartless," said Edward, "we're now up to the point where Riku was possessed by that terrible darkness."

"Stop it!' shouted Riku, "stop fighting! Sora's my friend! We shouldn't be fighting! Sora! Help me! Help me! I don't want to be in the darkness anymore! Help me! Help me!"

"Wake him up!" Tess demanded, "for the love of all things sacred! Wake him up!"

"One, two, three!" said Edward and he clapped his hands.

Instantly, Riku opened his eyes and looked around in sudden confusion. Then he saw Sora and began crying.

"Riku!" said Sora as he got up and ran over to his friend, but Riku leapt out of his chair and backed away from Sora.

"Leave me alone, Sora," said a miserable-sounding Riku, "you shouldn't be around a horrible person like me. We shouldn't be friends anymore."

"Why?" Sora asked, "we're friends. We've been best friends as far back as I can remember, so why shouldn't we still be friends?"

"Because I betrayed you!" snapped Riku, "you and Kairi, that's why! Don't you remember what I did to you and Kairi? That I abandoned you all and leapt headlong into the darkness? That I joined with Maleficent and took command of Heartless? That I found Kairi and didn't do anything that could have helped her? That I flaunted her heartless body in front of you, then tried to use her to open the door to Kingdom Hearts? That I let Xehanort's Heartless take control of me and allowed myself to hurt you? Well? If that's not reason for us to stop being friends, I don't know what is."

"But I know all of those things already," said Sora, "I lived through it, we both did. As far as I'm concerned, you made up for all those bad things by helping me and The King close the door to Kingdom Hearts. Sure, you still had your darkness to deal with, but we got though all of that and we all came home safe and sound."

"But I knew it was wrong!" said Riku, "I knew that the darkness was evil, but I still went in. I knew that I might never see my home, my family and my friends again, but I still took that step into the darkness. I chose to team up with Maleficent and abandon you again, Sora. I chose to use The Heartless. I chose to use Kairi to open the door to Kingdom Hearts, and even though I knew it was evil pure and simple, I allowed myself to be possessed by Xehanort's Heartless. I only came to my senses after you beat me that second time.

"But that doesn't matter! I knew what I was doing yet I still kept going! I did all those horrible things willingly!"

"I don't care!" said Sora forcefully. He grabbed Riku's shoulders, "I know you went through such a horrible time and you did a lot of horrible things. So what if you did them willingly? So what if you knew that what you were doing was wrong but still did it? That's in the past."

"I wouldn't do that, Sora," said Edward.

"You're not me," said Sora. He then punched Riku in the face, knocking him on his back.

"What the hell!" exclaimed Tess as she ran over to Riku and helped him up, "why'd you do that?"

"It doesn't matter," said Sora, "it's in the past."

"Well it hurts like hell," said Riku as he felt his face, discovering an angry bruise already welling up.

"I know it hurts," said Sora, "but it'll get better soon. Now you listen to me, Riku. I've already forgiven you for everything you've done, now pull yourself together so we can go save Kairi and Aiden!"

"How can I pull myself together?" Riku asked, "I've…"

"I don't know!" said Sora, "I've been making things up as I go along pretty much my whole life. Now it's your turn to figure things out for yourself. Please?"

At that Riku sat there for a few seconds and thought about it. But then he stood up, closed his eyes, held out his hand and with a bring flash, summoned his Keyblade.

"You got your mojo back!" said a overjoyed Tess as she flung her arms around Riku's neck. She then kissed him on the lips and he kissed her back. After a few seconds they broke apart.

"I did," said Riku. He then looked at Sora, "thank you, Sora, for everything."

"Hey, we're best friends," said a grinning Sora, "what else do you expect?"

"Friendship," said Riku, "naturally.

"And now it's Sora's turn," said Edward.

"Do you mind if we take a break?" Sora asked, "it's not that I'm afraid of going inside my head, but," his stomach growled loudly, "I could use a snack."

"So could I," said Tess, "and what time is it anyway?"

All off a sudden Riku stood up straight, "I want an official Red Rider Carbine Action 200 Shot Range Model Air Rifle!" he shouted, "with a compass in the stock and a thing which tells time!"

"It worked!" said a laughing Sora.

Riku then realized what he did, "some friend you are, Sora!" he said irately.

"I warned him not to do it," said Edward, "but no one listens to me, not, not the century old vampire."

"Well forgive me for listening to my stomach right now," said Sora. With that he, Riku and Tess walked out of the room.

* * *

><p>"You've succeeded in restoring two Keyblade Wielders," said Young Watari to Edward as they stepped out of the room, "only Sora remains."<p>

"He will be the most difficult," said Edward, "out of the three of them, in fact, out of all of his friends, Sora's mind is the hardest for me to understand. It's simple yet complex at the same time. I feel that I'm going to have to go even further into his subconscious mind than I did with Riku and Tess."

"How much further?" Young Watari asked.

"I won't know until I try," said Edward.

They found Sora, Riku and Tess downstairs in the Foyer, talking with King Mickey.

"So now Riku and Tess have their Keyblades back," said The King, "I knew that nothing the enemy could throw at you could keep you down for long!"

"It feels good to be back in business," said Riku, "but it'll feel better when Sora's got his mojo back too."

"But first lunch," said Sora, "any chance we can order pizza?"

"Half of what Ansem and I ate while we were working on Roxas was pizza," said Riku, "there's a great pizzeria in the Tram Common."

"Now there's a hot dog idea if I've ever heard one," said The King, "just give me the number and I'll order."

"You're the best, your majesty," said Sora.

"Any word from the ones who went out?" Tess asked, "from Bella, Jacob, Donald, Goofy, Will, Hayner, Pence, Olette and everyone else?"

"Not yet," said The King, "but then, no news is good news.

"We can only hope," said Edward.

Just then a portal opened up in the middle of the foyer, and from it emerged Scrooge Mcduck and Professor Ludwig von Drake, both of them in the middle of a heated argument.

"I don't care how much time you've invested in it, man," said Scrooge, "the whole idea is stark ravin' mad. Mad, I tell ye, and I won't have any part in it any more!"

"But you were so interested in my project when I first proposed it to you," said the professor, "and after all the time and money I spent of it, you want to just pull the plug? What am I saying? It was your money that I spent."

"Don't remind me how much of mah fortune I wasted on this pipe dream of yours," said an irate Scrooge.

"Would you mind telling me what you're talking about, fellas?" The King asked.

"With all due respect, your majesty," said Scrooge, "you're better off not knowing of it; it's a complete waste of your valuable time."

"It is not a waste of time!" said Professor von Drake, "it may just be the salvation of the realms of light, and quite a brilliant piece of thinking on my half if I may say so."

"In a sow's ear it is," said Scrooge.

"Any chance you could clue us in on what the hell you're talking about?" Tess asked, "and just who the hell are you people anyway?"

"They're friends," said Riku, "this is Scrooge Mcduck, the richest person in all the realms of light."

"He's so rich he's got a giant swimming pool full of coins," said Sora, "and he swims in it."

"It's more than a swimming pool, Sora me lad," said Scrooge, "it's mah entire money bin, and it's got cash and other treasure in it."

"But how do you swim through coins and treasure?" Tess asked, "doesn't it hurt?"

"Not in the slightest, lass" said Scrooge.

"Yes, we all know how much you love your money," said the professor. He then walked up to Tess, "young lady, you have the honor and privilege of being in the presence of the greatest scientist in all the realms. Professor Ludwig von Drake, at your service," he looked at Edward, "ah, here we have one of the famous Cullen family. I'm honored to make your acquaintance with one of the immortal."

"I'm pleased to meet you as well, professor," said Edward as he and von Drake shook hands, "and Mr. Mcduck is right, your plan is a waste of time."

"Oh! So the rumors of your telepathy are true, Edward Cullen," said an amazed von Drake, "how I would love to have you examined head to toe. But that's beside the point! My plan will work, all I need is…"

"…a human volunteer to test the system on," said Edward, "I doubt that anyone would approve of that."

"You want to test a weapon on a human?" Riku asked, "are you insane?"

"He want's to test a weapon on a human?" a shocked Tess asked.

"I never said I wanted to kill someone," said von Drake, "good heavens," he laughed, "I truly would be mad to want to do that. No, what I am implying is that the human would become the weapon, a weapon against the darkness."

"Okay, you want to turn someone into a weapon," said Sora, "that's different."

"But still no better," said Scrooge, "the lad or lass in question would never be the same afterwards!"

"How do you know for sure?" von Drake asked, "all the incidences involved the original users, whom were rather nasty creatures to begin with, and I have modified the system to prevent the worst from happening," he looked at King Mickey, "your majesty, I implore you to at least hear this humble scientist out. I am merely trying to save the realms of light from a fate worse than death."

"It couldn't hurt to hear your plan, professor," said King Mickey.

"It can," said Edward, "but I'll let him explain in his own words."

"I appreciate it, young vampire," said von Drake, "and I would also appreciate a little digression on your part."

"Forgive me," said Edward, "it's just that your thoughts were so loud, it was impossible for me to ignore them."

"Yes, we all know how egotistical von Drake is," said Scrooge.

"And we all know that avarice is your favorite sin," said von Drake, "now, if you would all listen, I will explain. Some time ago a came across a bizarre yet intriguing piece of alien technology; the Tek-system."

"Tek-system?" Sora asked.

"It allows a human to transform into a living suit of armor," said von Drake, "one of incredible power; a Tekkaman. Once transformed, the Tekkaman would be nearly indestructible against all forms of attack; bullets, laser beams, even nuclear bombs would have no effect on the armor."

"What about Heartless?" Riku asked, "and Nobodies and demons."

"And what about magic?" Tess asked, "our enemies have some serious mojo up their sleeves."

"My dear," said the professor, "the only thing that could kill a Tekkaman is another Tekkaman. But I only wish to create just one Tekkaman, a champion of light that will have powers equal to and exceeding a Keyblade Wielder."

"Someone stronger than us?" Sora asked.

"It would be a godsend if we had someone like that on our side," said Riku, "but how could it be so?"

"It's quite simple really," said von Drake, "thanks to the generous funding provided by my friend Mcduck here…"

"Bah!" spat Scrooge, "I'm beginning to doubt the validity of our friendship."

"Yes, you do that," said von Drake, "anyway, I've conducted research and experimentation into the Tek-system, allowing me to alter it from the original design used by the aliens, The Radam, whom as I said before weren't all that nice to begin with," he laughed, "believe me, people, you don't want to get on the bad side of these critters, no sir.

"Anyway, The Radam would take humans and immerse them in machine-like plants that would alter their DNA, and their minds as well, but that can wait. Once the human subject had the new DNA fully intergraded, he would then have the power to transform into a Tekkaman.

"There were risks, mind you. Not all humans have DNA that would accept the changes. Only a few survived to become Tekkaman, and most of those were driven horribly insane by the mental reprogramming of The Radam."

"That's why I don't want it done!" said Scrooge, "for the love of money, man, The Radam were hell bent on universal domination!"

"That's why I'm leaving out most of the washing of the brain in my system," said von Drake, "the only thing that'll go into the brain is the knowledge of how to be a Tekkaman."

"There are still risks," said Edward.

Just then Young Watari and Ansem walked in, "I couldn't help but overhear your plan, Professor von Drake," said Ansem.

"Ah, Ansem the Wise," said von Drake, "it's been way too long. You could have at least dropped me a line letting me know that you were still alive."

"I do apologize, my old comrade," said Ansem, "but I have been rather busy as of late."

"If I could interject for a moment," said Young Watari, "I personally think using this Tek-system to fight the darkness would be a terrific idea. With all due respect to Sora and his fellow Keyblade Wielders, we do need all the help we can get."

"Finally, someone who agrees with me," said von Drake, "I can begin setting up the necessary equipment at once."

"There's still that problem to work out," said Scrooge, "the other factor that I'm against," he looked at King Mickey and Sora, "I doubt that the professor had any intention to mention the fact that any human who becomes a Tekkaman risks going completely mad."

"I was getting to that!" said von Drake in an annoyed tone, "it was on my list," he checked his pockets, "now where is that list? I know I had it here somewhere," he pulled out a piece of paper, "is this it? No, it's last week's grocery list, and I forgot to get BBQ seasoning," he checked another pocket and pulled out another piece of paper, "is this it? No, it's last week's to-do list, and I forgot to call the phone company and upgrade my service package," he pulled out a third piece of paper, "oh! Here's the little trouble maker!"

"Never mind that," said Riku, "what do you mean about madness?"

"He means that any human who remains in the form of a Tekkaman for more than half an hour loses his sanity and regresses to a primal mentality," said Edward, "they become unstoppable killing machines, unable to distinguish friend from foe, destroying anything in their path."

"Oh, that would be a serious handicap," said Tess.

"It's still a good idea," said Young Watari, "regardless of the risks."

"But who are you gonna convince to take the risk?" Scrooge asked, "even with every possible variable considered and planned for, the dangers out weigh benefits. It's simple economics."

"Money has nothing else to do with it," said von Drake, "all my research and preliminary experiments and tests are complete. The only thing needed is to put all the necessary equipment together, turn the machines on and find a volunteer."

"There's no chance that anyone would willingly risk their sanity on this," said Scrooge.

"I would," said Sora, "I mean, if it looks like that I'm not a Keyblade Wielder anymore, then I'll be a Tekkaman."

"We don't know that you're not a Keyblade Wielder anymore," said Tess, "I broke through my block and so did Riku, so all we need to do is figure out what your block is."

"But I don't know what my block is," said Sora.

"That's why we've been hypnotized," said Riku, "and as soon as we're ready, Edward will hypnotize you."

"And we still haven't decided to use the professor's plan," said Edward. He then looked at The King, "you can't be serious."

"But I am serious," said King Mickey, "I think that the professor has a good idea."

"You do?" Sora, Riku, Tess, Young Watari, Ansem, Scrooge and von Drake asked.

"I certainly do," said King Mickey, "but I don't think it's a good idea to have Sora be part of it."

"Why not?" Sora asked, "I can see myself in a living suit of armor." Indeed, Sora was imagining himself as a giant suit of armor, not all that different from Alphonse Elric, only taller and more robust, and swinging an enormous sword, slicing through hordes of Heartless, Nobodies and demons.

"So can I," said King Mickey, "I also would like to have that kind of power, but I'm happy with what I have. And I refuse to believe that that fake Kairi could break your powers, Sora. You shouldn't give up on yourself so easily, Sora, I sure haven't."

At that Sora thought for a moment. He did give up a little too easily. Sure, he can't for the life of him think of what painful memory could be blocking his Keyblade, but that's no reason to just burry his head in the sand and wait for things to blow over.

"You're right, your majesty," said Sora, "I shouldn't have given up," he looked at Edward, "before you say it, I'm ready to try again."

"There's still the issue of the project that's not going to happen," said Scrooge, "I absolutely refuse to be any part in what could possibly destroy us all."

"Well I think that the project can work, if we try," said The King.

"There's still the fact of getting a human to become a Tekkaman," said Riku.

"True," said King Mickey, "and whoever it should be someone who isn't a Keyblade Wielder, or anyone else with a special power."

"I agree," said Young Watari, "it'd be wrong to ask someone to give up one power in exchange for another, even if the new power is possibly superior."

"So we're looking for someone without a special power," said Sora, "I can't think of anyone off of the top of my head."

"Then let's put your head to better use," said Edward.

"Back to the White Room then," said Riku.

"The sooner we hypnotize you, Sora," said Edward, "the sooner we will know what is blocking your powers."

"Oh, alright," said Sora. He then smiled, "manicotti."

At that Riku started clucking like a chicken for a few seconds, then blinked, "let's get going, Sora."

"Okay," said Sora as he stifled a sudden bout of giggles, while Tess also struggled to keep her laugher in.

"What?" Riku asked.

"Nothing," said Sora, "just remembering something funny."

"Right," said Riku in a suspicious tone.

"That Sora might just be the one to save us all," said Ansem as he, Young Watari, Scrooge, von Drake and The King watched Sora, Riku, Tess and Edward head up the stairs, "assuming he matures in mind and heart in time."

"Do you really think he has what it takes?" Young Watari asked, "all the computer projections say that this battle is going to be the worst one yet, a battle that will decide the fate of so many realms, and if Sora is indeed the pivotal figure upon which the future rests, then he has more than a little maturing to do."

"I still believe in him," said King Mickey, "I always have," he looked at von Drake, "but that doesn't mean we can't try out new ideas. You have my blessing to proceed with your Tek-system project."

"You won't regret this, your majesty," said an ecstatic von Drake as he furiously shook the King's hand.

"Oh, alright," said Scrooge in a conceding tone, "do it, create a potential walking disaster. Be it on your heads if we all end up murdered by your own monster, but I won't hinder you."

"Uncle Scrooge," said King Mickey, "coming from you, that's just as good as saying good luck."

"Wonderful!" said von Drake as he brushed his hands together in preparation for work, "now, where can I set up shop?"

"There's a few empty rooms that can serve as a laboratory," said Young Watari, "If you wish, I'll assist you in this endeavor. Where is your equipment?"

"I just need to bring it in from my own lab in the castle," said von Drake, "I can port it all in less than fifteen minutes, just show me the room to set it all up in!"

"In the meantime," said The King, "I have some serious thinking to do."

"Indeed," said Ansem, "whom shall we ask to become a Tekkaman?"

* * *

><p><strong>…The World that Never Was…<strong>

Reddik and Rakel emerged from the Dark Corridor onto the streets of the dark city of The World that Never Was. They immediately had to jump onto a pile of crates to avoid being stampeded by a swarm of Shadows.

"It seems that Maleficent has been very busy while we were gone," said Reddik.

"Fifty…sixty…ninety…" said Rakel as she quickly counted the Shadow swarm, "and they're still coming."

Just then Pete, Hektor and Kichot emerged from the Dark Corridor and also jumped onto the crate pile, "what the…? Where'd all these Heartless come from?" Pete asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Hektor.

Just then Falkon teleported onto the crate pile, "Congratulations on your success, Pete and Hektor," said the Hakonian rebel, "you may have just saved us all."

"I know you," said Rakel to Falkon, "you're Falkon Everdark, you worked for my father."

"I'm honored that you remembered me, Lady Mindblighter," said Falkon as he bowed in respect.

"Please, just Rakel. Reddik and I gave up all rights to the nobility when we ran away."

"And we're leaving at the earliest chance," said Reddik, "yes, we came back, but only to settle accounts with Maleficent and to get the rest of our people out off of this brightened world," he looked at Falkon, "so remember this, my friend, as soon as the crisis is over, Rakel and I are leaving, for good this time, and anyone who comes after us had better prepare their last will and testament, they'll need it."

"All I care about is the wellbeing of our people, Lord Nightshade," said Falkon, "I mean, Reddik. But for now, will you meet with the others whom also wish only for the wellbeing of our people?"

"There's no time like the present," said Reddik, "lead on."

"This way then," said Falkon as he summoned another Dark Corridor, "we had to change our base of operation since Maleficent began choking this world with Heartless."

"What about my wife and kids?" Pete asked, "are they still alright?"

"They're safe," said Falkon, "they're in another safe house that we had to set up. While you were gone, Reddik, nearly every commoner still alive has joined our movement, and a handful of the nobles, whom mostly joined because they heard that you and Rakel would come back to lead them."

"They're in for a world of disappointment," said Rakel as they all stepped through the Dark Corridor, emerging inside a large meeting room of an old office building. The room was large enough to comfortably house the thirty common Hakonians. Here and there were tables stacked with street and building plans, as well as blasters and edged weapons. Stacked along the walls and in the corners were crates full of more weapons, as well as boxes full of healing items.

As soon as Reddik and Rakel stepped from the Dark Corridor they were spotted by the rebel Hakonians. All talk and activity stopped as the rebels looked at the two fugatives.

"I'm feeling really uncomfortable right about now," whispered Reddik to Rakel.

"So am I," said Rakel, "we should just get it over with."

"Good idea," said Reddik. He, Rakel, Falkon, Hektor, Pete and Kichot made their way to the center of the room.

"Comrades," said Falkon, "our wayward brother and sister have returned at long last!"

At that Tylek Braidwrath pushed his way past the other rebels, "it's about damn time! Have you seen what's going on outside?"

"Maleficent has gone completely berserk!" said one of the rebel Hakonians, "and that Gideon creep is no better."

"The others are scattered across the world," said another rebel, "some of the groups have had to change safe houses a few times. There's more than Heartless and Nobodies out on the streets these days."

"Are we in contact with the groups?" Hektor asked.

"Everyone has their own secure comlink," said Tylek, "all messages are sent in code, with no actual words spoken, and we change the codes several times a day."

"What weapons do we have?" Reddik asked.

"Aside from our usual powers," said Falkon, "we have a wide variety of swords, axes, pole arms, not enough blasters for everyone, but they all work and have enough spare power packs to keep them going through an extended fight."

"Okay then," said Reddik he took a deep breath, "the first thing we need to do is gather more intelligence on what Maleficent and this Gideon is up to; what their overall plan is, the numbers of demons involved and just how far Maleficent is going in terms of summoning Heartless.

"Then we need to coordinate with all the rebel groups and each group leader. We need to discuss a strategy on defeating Maleficent, and Gideon if we get the chance, but our primary goal should be our eventual escape, not only from Maleficent and Gideon, but from the remaining nobles, those whom haven't been won over yet."

"Just how many nobles have been won over?" Rakel asked.

"Only eight out of 135," said Tylek, "and before you ask, there's only 2,131 commoners on the dark world. That's right, out of a race that was once in the trillions, there's less than 2,300 of us left, and before this horrible mess is over, there'll be much, much less than that."

"Not if we do this right," said Reddik, "now, just to get it out of the way, are there any of the old starships left?"

"The ones that carried our ancestors away from the ruined empire and eventually delivered us here?" Falkon asked, "most of them were recycled into the Uridium mining fleet, and they were all destroyed, by the Keyblade Wielders, some humans with a really powerful starship, and supposedly The Daleks."

"Here's an idea," said one of the rebels, "bring The Daleks here and have them fight Maleficent and The Heartless."

"And have them exterminate the nobles!" shouted another rebel. At that the other rebels laughed.

"But then we'd be forced to fight The Daleks," said Tylek, "and, gods forbid, Davros would be there leading The Daleks."

"That's absurd," said Falkon, "everyone knows that Davros was killed during the war with The Time Lords."

"Davros has escaped death time and time again," said Tylek, "if The Doctor couldn't kill him for good, then the rest of The Time Lords couldn't do it."

"But he did die," said Falkon, "it's historical fact that Davros's ship fell into The Jaws of the Nightmare Child, at The Gates of Elysium."

"What's a Nightmare Child?" Pete asked.

"No one really knows," said Falkon, "there's tones of rumors, the most believable one being that it was a living creature that could destroy entire worlds."

"Brining in The Daleks would be a bad idea period," said Reddik, "as would The Doctor. He ruined our empire, setting in motion the events that brought us all here today. So there won't be any Time Lords involved either.

"Regardless, I think we're off to a good start, but we need more. There's far more to be done, mostly of all planning a strategy. I'd like to meet with the other group leaders."

"That can be arranged," said Falkon, "I'll send out word to the others to meet here."

"You do that," said Rakel.

"You guys really think you can do this?" Pete asked, "free all you Hakonians from Maleficent and them other baddies?"

"We have to try," said Reddik, "if only to keep our word. We said we'd do what we have to do, nothing more, nothing less."

"The same could be said of you, Pete," said Falkon, "you've fulfilled your obligation to us; you've returned to us our leaders, and now we can guarantee the safety of your family. You are free to go with your wife, son, daughter, and even your pet dog. You're all free to go wherever you wish."

"You've been an honorable companion, my fury friend," said Hektor, "I shall miss you."

"We'll miss you too, Pete," said Rakel.

"You've helped us so many times," said Reddik, "how can we ever repay you?"

"Umm…I really don't know," said Pete, "my wife and kids are safe, and I can go whenever I want, but…I think I'll stay around for a while."

"What for?" Reddik asked, "you've done all that you've been asked to do, so why stay?"

"I don't know," said Pete in an unsure tone, "I guess it's cause I wanna see how things turn out."

"If that's what you wish," said Falkon, "then so be it. Perhaps you have a far greater roll to play in this drama than our psychics have foreseen."

**The end of chapter 4.**

Next chapter finds the two psycho villains going to Hogwarts. Will they capture Victoire Weasley and destroy the famed school for witches and wizards? Meanwhile Aiden and his time traveling companions learn the truth behind The Hakonian Empire. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	5. Chapter 5: Clash at Hogworts

Last time found our heroes and allies attempting to protect Miley from the two psycho villains. Yet despite the efforts of Emmet, Rosalie, Hayner, Pence, Olette and The Enon Knights, with a last minute arrival of Akane Tendo, the two lunatics, Xorat and Kiraxi captured Miley and brought her to New Hollow Bastion, throwing her into the cell with Violet, Sara, Lyra and Nessie, the last realizing that her vampire half was beginning to get out of control.

Back on Twilight Town, Edward helped Riku break through his mental block and recover his Keyblade. Before getting to work on Sora's block, Professor Ludwig von Drake arrived with an idea that could tilt the balance in favor of those in the light; a Tekkaman.

Reddik, Rakel and Pete returned to New Hollow Bastion, with the two Hakonians reluctantly accepting the mantel of leadership of their people.

And as for Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory, they wound up going from one oven into another. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 5: Clash at Hogworts**

**…The Old Mansion…Twilight Town…**

Just as Sora, Riku, Tess, The King and Young Watari were getting some lunch, The King felt something vibrate in his pocket. He pulled out a green crystal about twice as big as the ones he gave to the three groups earlier. A written message scrawled across the face of the crystal, written by a hand with horrible handwriting that was very familiar to King Mickey. As he read the message, The King's expression changed from happy to concerned to completely upset.

"What is it?" Riku asked, "what's wrong?"

"It's from Donald and Goofy," said The King in a worried tone, "the enemy…they…they've got Sara."

"What!" exclaimed Sora.

"Oh crap," said a shocked Tess.

"Now they have three princesses," said Riku, "maybe more by now."

Just then Edward ran into the room, "What about Bella?" he asked, "is she alright?"

"Hang on," said The King as he read the rest of the message, "it's taking a while for it to cross worlds. That and the crystals are enchanted to send the message out in code and then the receiver crystal," he held up the one in his hand, "decodes it. It just takes a while." He then relaxed his expression as he read the next lines of the message, "everyone's alright, a bit shaken and rattled, but alright. Oh… it looks like that Sara's friends want to come back with Donald, Goofy, Bella, Jacob and the others. As soon as they're ready they're going to come back, all of them."

"So all of Sara's friends are coming," said Sora, "Nate, Denise, Lance and David, and Ranma."

"I'll bet that Ranma's pissed at being defeated by Xorat," said Riku.

"Actually he managed to hold his own against Xorat," said The King, "and probably would have won if given the chance."

"He'll get it," said Tess.

Just then the crystal vibrated again and a new message began to appear, one written in a different handwriting, but still hard to read.

"It's from Hayner," said The King, "and…oh darn it! The enemy has Miley too."

"Get the frak out of here!" exclaimed an outraged Riku.

"They just took her," said King Mickey as he read the message, "I mean, she gave up rather than let anyone else get hurt."

"That sounds like Miley," said Sora.

"What's this about the Kairi biot, Kiraxi, now being immune to vamprie Venom?" Edward asked in an outraged tone.

"Kiraxi is now immune to vampire venom?" Tess asked.

"Not only that," said The King, "but she's now a lot stronger than before, and so is Xorat."

"How are they stronger?" Riku asked.

"It seems that Xorat received some dark magic from Maleficent," said King Mickey, "and Kiraxi, she's…she's using some kind of drug."

"Oh great," said Sora, "not only have they made an evil copy of Kairi, they've turned her into a drug addict."

"What about Roxas and his group?" Riku asked, "any word from them?"

"No," said The King, "nothing from them yet."

"No news is good news then," said Young Watari.

"There's more," said The King as he continued to read the second message, "Hayner and their group will be back as soon as they've recovered from the battle, and they're bringing some friends as well."

"Adam and The Neon Knights," said Riku.

"That'd be great," said Sora, "not only is Ranma coming, but his friends will be here as well."

"And Miley's friends and family as well," said King Mickey, "and…one Akane Tendo."

At that Sora and Riku fell silent for a few seconds.

"What's wrong?" Tess asked.

"Akane and Ranma were engaged once," said Riku, "it was…a really dramatic engagement."

"But they broke up for good during The tournament of Light," said Sora, "so…"

"So it'll be awkward for them to meet again," said Tess, "I've seen plenty of dramas in the streets of Meridian."

"There's so many people coming," said Sora, "a lot of friends who want to help," he grinned eagerly, "with so many of us here, ready to fight and save our friends, Maleficent and Gideon don't stand a chance."

"I'll roll out the red carpet," said The King.

"In the meantime," said Edward, "we can get back to work on your problem, Sora."

"Uh, okay," said Sora, "but I don't know what good it'll do. I honestly don't have that kind of painful memory."

"None that you can remember," said Tess, "I blocked out what was holding me back, and so did Riku."

"I'd know if I was blocking a painful memory," said Sora.

"I'll bet you do have a painful memory," said Riku.

"I'll take that bet," said Sora, "winner get the first slice of a Paopou fruit when we get home."

"But we get to share the rest with everyone else," said Riku, "right?"

"Of course," said Sora. They then shook on it.

"Then let's put this bet into motion," said Edward, "and let me get into your head, Sora, sometime this year? Not that I don't have time, but the rest of us don't."

"Yes, boss," muttered Sora.

* * *

><p><strong>…New Hollow Bastion…<strong>

"How serious is this?" Miley asked as she, Sara, Lyra and Violet sat across from Nessie, whom was laying down on one of the cots, "I mean, I just met a few vampires, and they seemed really nice folks, especially that gorgeous hunk of a hunk."

"Which one?" Nessie asked in a slightly winded tone as she struggled against the persistent burning in her throat, "My Uncle Jasper? My father?"

"Actually it was Emmet," said Miley.

"Oh, well, yeah," said Nessie, "Uncle Emmet is gorgeous, but not as gorgeous as my Jacob." She then winced and her hand went to her throat, "this is really getting uncomfortable."

"Here," said Sara as she walked over to the partitioned off bathroom and filled a glass with cold water. She walked back and handed the glass to Nessie, "it's not animal blood, but it couldn't hurt."

"Thanks," said Nessie. She drank the water, then leaned back and sighed with annoyance.

"It didn't help at all?" Lyra asked.

"It did, a little," said Nessie, "I'm still half human, and the human body needs at least 8 glasses of water per day to keep functioning. If I keep drinking water, it'll help take the edge off of my real thirst, at least for now."

"How long can you go without blood?" Violet asked, "will you…die…without it?"

"I honestly don't know," said Nessie, "the Volturi might know, they've been around longer then almost any other vampire on my world, but there's no point in asking them right now."

"In that case we'll have to double our efforts in getting out of here," said Sara, "the sooner we find an animal for you to eat, the better."

"I'd give my right eyetooth for a big juicy mountain lion," said Nessie. The then shook her head in frustration, "no, I don't want to even think about that."

"Well what do you want to think about?" Violet asked.

"Anything," said Nessie. She then looked at Miley, "what about you? What insanity have you been up to since Sora and the others crossed paths with you?"

"You want to know my story?" Miley asked, "well, okay, it's a real humdinger of a tale, but here it goes." Miley started out by giving a very brief explanation of her double life as a pop superstar and normal teenager, her relationship with her friends family, Jake, and a quick summery of what happened during The Tournament of Light.

"I thought that once things calmed down after the tournament," said Miley, "things would go back to normal, if you can call my life normal. But they didn't. Not only did I have to be me, Miley Stewart, normal teenager, while also being Hannah Montana, but I also had to be Princess Hannah, and believe me, having the world worship you as a Princess of Light isn't all cookies and cream, I'll tell you.

"Anyway, I soon found myself with far less time on my hands than I did before. If it wasn't school, it was concerts and rehearsals, followed by publicity events and most of all, giving hope to a world full of people in need of hope."

"Just how bad are things on your Earth?" Sara asked.

"Pretty bad," said Miley, "wars, terrorism, famine, diseases, disasters, if its not one horrible thing, its another. But I was making a difference. My words gave hope to those without hope and I even helped settle a few small conflicts in the Middle East.

"But it all added up with too much to do and not enough time to unwind and relax, not to mention a shortage of sleep. I nearly hit the wall a few times, if it weren't for my daddy convincing everyone that I needed time to myself."

"The wall?" Nessie asked, "what wall?"

At that Miley looked rather uncomfortable, but she continued her story, "it's what happens to me when I go without sleep for too long. At first I seem okay, a little rundown but still eager to keep going with whatever I'm doing.

"Then comes depression, followed by giddiness, then mania, hallucinations and then I finally pass out and stay asleep for at least a whole day. It's really embarrassing, like total humiliation, especially when it happens on live television.

"But I pulled through, because I knew I was making a difference in the world and I had those I loved supporting me."

"Your friends and family sounds wonderful," said Lyra.

"They're the best," said Miley, "I don't even want to think about what my life would have turned out if I didn't have my daddy, Lilly, Oliver, Jake, even Jackson, with me."

Miley then looked serious, "but then something happened that nearly made me give up everything and live my life out in peace and quiet."

"What happened?" Sara asked.

"It was during my world tour," said Miley, "Hannah's first overseas tour around the globe. I did shows in London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Cairo, Moscow and New Deli. Our next stop was Beijing, then on to Tokyo and home after that, when there was a minor mixup at the airport.

"We wound up taking two jets to China, with my daddy, Jackson, along with Ukyo, Ian, Ryoga, Jean-Louise, Kodatchi, Kyle, Tatewaki and Julia. Adam, Shampoo, Mousse and Felicia were on the plane with me, Jake, Lilly and Oliver.

"Things were alright at first as the plane took off, but after a while Jake and Adam noticed that we weren't heading towards Beijing, but instead due north towards the Himalayans."

"You were hijacked?" an outraged Violet asked.

"Apparently," said Miley, "we tried to get the pilot to tell us what was going on, but he kept his mouth shut the whole time. Adam, Felicia and the Amazons tried to get into the cockpit, but it was locked tighter than the lid on a pickle jar.

"We tried calling for help, but all our phones weren't getting any service. Mousse guessed that they were being jammed. We realized that there was nothing we could do at the time, so we sat back and tried to relax, and not think about what horrible fate awaited us.

"After a while we saw Mt. Everest going past the windows and still we kept going, but not for long. The place started bouncing around from turbulence and the next thing we knew, we were crashing.

"Goodness!" said Lyra, "what happened?"

"The pilot somehow brought us to a safe landing in the snow. We were all rattled around and a little bruised, but we were alive, except for the pilot. The crash forced the cockpit door open, where Adam and Jake found the pilot dead from a broken neck.

"The plane had plenty of emergency supplies and cold weather gear, but our emergency transponder was missing, so we couldn't call for help. We thought things over for an hour and decided to try to hike to civilization. Our phones still had no reception, but Shampoo and Mousse were pretty confidient they could find the way.

"We had just set out from the wreckage of the plane when we suddenly found ourselves in warmer climates. There, at the top of the world, was warmth and greenery. The next thing we knew we were surrounded by people from different parts of the world; most of them Asians, but others were from Europe, Africa, North and South America and one was from Australia.

"They all spoke in a strange dialect of Chinese that Shampoo and Mousse couldn't understand much, but one of the people spoke English and explained that we were in The Valley of The Blue Moon, on the path to the temple of Shangri-La."

"Shangri-La?" Nessie asked, "that's impossible! Shangri-La is a myth!"

"The Valley of the Blue Moon," said Lyra, "there's legends of that place on my world; a land of eternal summer, free of war, strife, hunger, disease, greed and pain, where the people stay young for hundreds of years and life their lives in peace and happiness."

"But it's just a myth, right?" Violet asked, "there's no such place on Earth, not on my world that is."

"Even Dream Valley and Equestria has its problems," said Sara.

"Well believe it or not," said Miley, "my friends and I were on our way to Shangri-La. We were treated as expected guests by the temple priests and novices and told that we were welcome to stay for as long as we wished.

"We were glad to have found such a welcoming place and explored both the temple and the valley. We met people who have been alive for hundreds of years, yet still looked young and beautiful. And while my friends were talking to the various people, I could sense the magic of the place. It was everywhere, in the ground, the water and the air, a special enchantment that eased the mind, soothed the heart and freed you from the worries and stresses of the world.

"I admit, I wanted to stay and live there forever with my friends and Jake. But part of me knew that I had to go back to the outside world. I still had the rest of my friends and family, whom were probably more worried than my Uncle Aunt Pearl after her favorite soap opera was canceled.

"And let's not forget the rest of the world who was also waiting on baited breath for news about me. So I went to the priests and told them that I had to go leave. They said that my friends and I were free to go before the magic of the valley fully took effect in us."

"What does that mean?" Violet asked.

"They say that in The Valley of the Blue Moon, once you stop aging, you can't leave," said Lyra, "that if you do leave, time catches up on you very quickly. In a matter of days you age decades and eventually die a shriveled up husk."

"We were only there for about four days," said Miley, "so there was no danger of my friends and I becoming human raisins. But the priests said that before we left, I had to talk to the High Llama.

"I met the man, who while looked no older than 40, was over a hundred years old. He said that it was he who orchestrated my coming to Shangri-La. He apologized for my kidnapping, but said that there was a reason, a very good reason."

"The hell there was a reason!" snapped Nessie as she stood up irately, "there's no good reason to kidnap a girl and her friends."

"Well it was a good reason after all," said Miley, "I was angry at first, but calm enough to listen. The High Llama had a vision about me, a prophecy that said that before too long I would be in grave danger, that I would be taken from the world and put to death, along with six others like me, and our deaths would bring about the most terrible darkness that all of existence has never seen before.."

"Guess he was right," said Sara, "we've all been taken from our worlds and now we're about to die."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," said Nessie, whom then sat down, "but do go on."

"The High Llama said that he had me brought to Shangri-La to protect me," said Miley, "the magic that keeps the valley in warmth and happiness also protects it; those with evil in their hearts cannot enter, ever. The Valley of the Blue Moon is probably the one place on Earth where I could be safe from the darkness, forever.

"I told the High Llama that I was grateful for his concern, but that I still had to leave, not just for my friends and family, not just for my billions of fans around the world, but that I had to be free to make my own choices. When it comes to being free or being safe, I'd rather be free and take my chances.

"The High Llama said he respected my choice and wished me good luck, for it was against his beliefs to hold me here against my will. He said I was free to go, that his people would show me to the boundary of the valley, where a search party looking for the jet would be there soon.

"But then the High Llama said that I couldn't force my friends to come with me, that they had to make the same choice I did. If they wanted to stay in the valley, they could. I asked my friends if they wanted to stay. They all said that they were happy there, happier than they had been in a long time, but they all said if I was going, they were going, not just out of loyalty, but because of love, and I loved them equally.

"We said our farewells to the people of the valley and left. An hour after crossing the boundry we met up with a search party and two days later we were back in Malibu, o worse for the wear.

"We agreed between ourselves; Adam, Shampoo, Mousse, Felicia, Lilly, Oliver, Jake and myself, that we would keep the secret of Shangri-La to ourselves, for if too many people knew, then the valley would be flooded with strangers, good strangers, but strangers nonetheless.

"And that's it. I've been pretty much on sabbatical since, recovering from my kidnapping ordeal, as the media is putting it, when Hayner and the others arrived."

"So now the prophecy has come true," said Violet in a depressed tone, "and we're going to die!"

"We're not dead yet!' snapped Nessie, "we're going to find a way out of this hellhole, and our friends and families are going to find a way to get to us!" she then touched her throat, reminding herself and the others in the cell of her ever-present thirst for blood.

Lyra then whispered to Sara, "can we talk for a second? In private?"

"Where?" Sara asked, "it's just one big room with a curtain serving for a bathroom."

"Just over here then," said Lyra as she beckoned Sara off to the far corner. They reached the corner, "I think we need to face facts here about our friend."

"What's there to face?" Sara asked, "yes, Nessie really needs blood, and…"

"And that's it," said Lyra, "she needs blood, and there's no animals in sight."

"None that can actually give blood that is," said Pan.

"But what are you…?" Sara asked, but then her expression changed to disgusted understanding, "oh, it's us. _We_ have blood to give."

"No!" snapped Nessie as she sat up and pushed Miley and Violet away from her, "absolutely not! There's no way in heaven, hell or on earth that I'm drinking your blood!"

"What?" Violet asked.

"Did you say that you're going to take our blood?" Miley asked.

"We hadn't decided on that yet," said Sara. She looked at Nessie, "and how did you hear us?"

"We're in a confined space," said Nessie, "and my sense of hearing still works. And the answer is no; I'm not taking any blood from any of you!"

"But you could die," said Lyra, "or something else could happen. We don't know," she held up the Alethiometer, "and this hasn't been any help right now."

"The answer is still no!" said Nessie, "I'm not drinking any of your blood! I'm not falling off the wagon! Not again!"

"What are you talking about?" Violet asked.

"I already had to have human blood not too long ago," said Nessie, "on Agrabah, that half ninja tramp, Roxie, she poisoned me that would have crippled my human half. I probably would have wound up hospitalized for life, if my father hadn't shown up and convinced me that only human blood could cure me. I only drank it as a last resort, and I wasn't even thirsty then."

She slowly got to her feet and looked at the four princesses of Heart, "I know we're in a semi-hopeless situation and that our powers are greatly weakened, and I know that I'm getting thirsty. Well, I'm not _that _thirsty, so don't even think about tempting me with human blood!"

"Okay, already," said Lyra, "consider the matter forgotten."

"Consider 'what' forgotten?" Nessie asked cautiously.

"I don't know," said Lyra.

"That's better," said Nessie as she sat down, her forehead perspiring slightly, "now, again, let's find a way out of this mess we're in."

"We've been all over this cell, top and bottom," said Sara, "there nothing here than can deactivate the force field, let alone turn off the dampening field that's suppressing our powers."

"Mind if I take a look?" Miley asked, "I just got here."

"Feel free to look," said Sara, "but even with five pairs of eyes, and judging on our enemies' recent performance record, there'll be a sixth pair soon, then a seventh."

"Don't count Sora and the others out just yet," said Lyra, "they'll find a way to get to this horrible world."

"Well what's taking them so long?" Violet asked, "what, are they ordering a pizza or something?"

"If they have even an ounce of brains between them," said Nessie, "assuming they've restrained Jacob and my parents from going off halfcocked and rushing here, wait, what am I saying? My father has my mom restrained, and she has Jacob hemmed in. Anyway, our friends and family are planning a strategy to get us out of this. And god willing, they'll get here before the enemy has the other two princesses."

"And if they don't get here in time?" Miley asked.

"And if they don't get here before you get too thirsty to resist killing us and taking our blood?" Sara asked, "what then?"

"Did you have to put that image in my mind?" Violet asked.

"I didn't want to think about that either," said Nessie, "and as to the question; I don't know."

* * *

><p>"Now which princess should we get next?" Gideon asked, "there's only two left?" he looked at the images of Usagi and Victoire, "the witch or the moon girl? Decisions, decisions."<p>

"Might I suggest that we go after the one attending Hogwarts," said The Negotiator, "our research says that while the school for witches and wizards has formidable defenses, they are not perfect and if Xorat and Kiraxi use a proper strategy, instead of blindly barging in smashing everything in site, they could take the girl by surprise."

"A definite strategy would be a different change of pace," said Maleficent, "and the element of surprise would benefit the cause. I too have done my research on Hogwarts; there are far too many witches and wizards of considerable power on that world. It would ill behoove us to attract their ire too soon, not until we have the realms of light conquered. Then we can focus on the other worlds one by one."

"Surprise is good," said Gideon, "but on the other hand, the moon girl, Usagi Tsukino, she's a friend of Kairi, while the witch isn't."

"If you lay a hand on either," said Kairi, "I'll run your hands through a meat grinder and make you eat what comes out!"

"Now that's just gross," said Gideon, "and just for that," he pulled out a coin, "I'll late fate decide this; heads the target is the witch, tails the target is the moon girl. He flipped the coin into the air, caught it and looked at it, "heads it is then."

Just then Xorat and Kiraxi walked into the room, with the former looking a little depressed.

"You two are just in time," said Gideon, "your next target is the witch girl at Hogwarts."

"Shall we destroy that disgusting place for the so called good magic?" Xorat asked.

"Not today," said Maleficent, "this time you are to take the waif without attracting any attention from the worlds' inhabitants. So no reckless acts of random death and destruction."

"Now where's the fun in that?" Kiraxi asked, "what's the point of having dark powers if you can't use them?"

"You'll get to use them later on, babe," said Gideon, "just not this time. Next time."

"Oh, well," said Kiraxi, "alright. But if the girl puts up a fight, I can break her arm, right?"

"Her arm, her leg, her nose, as long as the rest of her is in one piece," said Gideon, "just don't attract any attention this time."

"Alright," said Kiraxi, "I'll just mess the waif up a bit."

"Then go and bring the girl here," said Maleficent.

"Consider the brat already captured, oh mistress of all evil," said Xorat as he bowed to Maleficent. He summoned a Dark Corridor and he and Kiraxi walked through. But before Kiraxi walked through, Gideon saw her gripping the jet injector in her pocket.

"I believe we may have gotten in a little over our heads with her, Mr. Graves," said The Negotiator, "she may have already become dependent on Formula X-35."

"What? No," said Gideon, "she's not an addict. I made her, there's no way she'd turn out a junkie."

"That's not what I'm seeing," said Kairi, "just wait and see. Your enhancement is going to turn out to be her undoing."

"I'm starting to get tired of hearing you talk," said Gideon in an annoyed tone.

"Then stop talking to me in the first place," said Kairi, "and I won't talk to you."

"Just shut up and watch the show," said Gideon.

* * *

><p>The Dark Corridor opened up on the shore of a large lake under a brightly lit sun. Xorat and Kiraxi stepped from the vile portal and looked around. The first thing they noticed was that atop a hill overlooking the lake and off to one side a forest, was a large elaborately built castle.<p>

"I'll bet that's Hogwarts," said Xorat as he pointed at the castle.

"The girl is somewhere in there," said Kiraxi in a bored tone, "we're going to have to sneak in there without being seen, look for the girl, without being seen, capture the girl, without being seen, and sneak out with her, without being seen," she yawned, "how tedious."

"It's orders," said Xorat, "the mistress, and your master, doesn't want us to attract attention here."

"It's still boring," said Kiraxi, "but," she sighed reluctantly, "orders are orders, so let's go get that girl."

But then they saw someone sitting under a tree beside the lake, a girl who turned out to be the one from Aiden's vision. She was in her late teens with long reddish gold hair and a hint of freckles on her highly beautiful face. She was wearing black robes with a crest on it, the crest being a red and gold lion.

The girl then stood up, looked at Xorat and Kiraxi, and walked towards them.

"What's this?" Xorat asked.

"It looks like she is coming to us," said Kiraxi, "but that can't be right, can it?"

The girl stopped a few yards from the two villains, "you're from the realm of darkness," she said in a matter of fact tone, "you're here for me."

"Uh…that depends," said a slightly confused Xorat, "you are Victoire Weasley, princess of heart, right?"

"I am her," said the girl, Victoire Weasley, "and yes, I am a princess of heart, at least that is what my dreams say so."

"Dreams?" Kiraxi asked cautiously.

"I've had strange dreams all my life," said Victoire Weasley, "I've seen many things; things that were, things that are, and some things that have an unfortunate tendency of coming to pass. I've seen the best and worst of this world, and I saw you two coming for me."

"Is that so?" Xorat asked.

"Yes," said Victoire, "and I saw you attacking Hogwarts and hurting a lot of innocent people in order to get to me."

"Our orders were to capture you quickly and quietly," said Kiraxi, "boring as the orders are."

"It doesn't matter what your orders are," said Victoire, "you would have been noticed and there would have been a fight. There's something you need to know about us witches and wizards; we're very protective of our school, including the staff and students. So, in my dream, when you are seen yet still try to grab me, you anger a lot of very powerful, very talented magic users.

"Yes, you still capture me, but not before you end up destroying a large part of the castle and murdering a lot of people, some of whom are my friends. I cannot, will not, let that happen. You're going to take me regardless, so why allow Hogwarts to burn and innocent people to suffer?" she took a step forward, "so here I am, waiting for you to take me to the other princesses of heart."

"Aren't you scared?" Kiraxi asked, "we're about to take you to the realm of darkness, to be used in a dark ritual to summon the true master of the darkness, Lord Kira, after which you'll be rendered totally useless, if not dead. Doesn't that terrify you in the least bit?"

"Of course it does," said Victoire, "it's been terrifying me ever since I first dreamed if you coming for me."

"I thought so," said a grinning Kiraxi.

"But that's no reason for me to hide under my bed and wait for it to all blow over," said Victoire, "running away and hiding from fear never did anyone any good. I've seen what horrors await me, but I'm not going to let them control me. I choose to face my fear. I choose to let you take me to my fate, rather than allow my friends to be put in harms way and for Hogwarts to be destroyed. I choose to go to the darkness."

"Your pathetic friends are doomed either way," said Xorat, "sooner or later this world, and all others, will fall to the darkness, and your precious school will suffer the same fate. However, I'll admit that you've got guts, showing up here all by your lonesome, knowing full well what's going to happen to you."

"Of course I've got guts," said Victoire, "I'm a Gryffindor, being brave is what we do best."

"Well you're going to need a lot more than guts where we're going," said Kiraxi as she walked towards Victoire. She was just a yard from the young witch, her hand outstretched to grab Victoire, when all of a sudden came the sound of several people shouting at once.

"_Protego Maximum!"_

Kiraxi's hand bounced away from Victoire as if an invisible wall had been placed around her.

"What the hell!" exclaimed Kiraxi as she tried to grab Victoire again, but her hands bounced away from the young witch before she ever got close.

"What trickery is this?" Xorat exclaimed as he glared at Victoire.

"I…I'm not doing it," said Victoire in a startled tone, "unless…" realization dawned on her face, "oh no!" she turned around, "where are you? Uncle Neville! Aunt Angelina! Why?"

"We may be almost family, Ms. Weasley," said a male voice, one that came from a wizard that appeared out of nowhere, followed by two witches, wearing all wearing elaborate robes and each carrying a wand, "but I'm still your professor of Herbology."

The wizard had short brown hair and a round face but had a serious look about him. The first witch had dark skin and long black hair, while the second witch had an exceptionally pretty Asian face. All three of them were in their mid thirties.

"And I'm your transfiguration professor," said one of the witches, "even though I married your uncle George."

"And I'm still your History of Magic Professor," said the other witch, "at least for another month, so do show us some respect for trying to save your life."

"Yes, Professor Connor," said Victoire, "Professor Johnson-Weasley, Professor Longbottom."

"That being said," said the wizard he looked at Xorat and Kiraxi, "I'm Neville Longbottom. These are my fellow Hogwarts professors; Angelina Johnson-Weasley, and Cho Connor."

"We already know who you two maniacs are," said Angelia Johnson-Weasley.

"And we know what you'll do to Victoire when you take her," said Cho Connor, "we can't let that happen."

At that Xorat laughed cruelly, "as if a bunch of magicians can stop us."

"We're not magicians," said Cho, "we're serious about this."

"Very serious," said Angelina.

"Well I still say you can't stop us," said Xorat.

"Just how did you know we were coming?" Kiraxi asked.

"I'd like to know that myself," said Victoire.

"You're not the only one in our world who has a minor form of divination," said Angelina, "sure, back in our day most of us scoffed at the subject, especially Hermione."

"But some people in both our world and in the muggle world do have glimpses of the future," said Cho, "and sometimes they come true, for better or worse.'

"But how did you know we were coming?" Kiraxi asked, "and what the hell is a muggle?"

"A non-magic person," said Neville, "sometimes called mortals. But that's beside the point. Where as you dreamed of this, Victoire, someone else saw it in a full vision."

"But who did…?" Victoire asked, but then she put two and two together, "oh, him."

"Him who?" Xorat asked.

"That would be me," said a male voice. There stood a man in his mid twenties. He had short brown hair, light hazel eyes and wore a green shirt and blue jeans with a tan jacket with a badge on one shoulder. The badge depicted a bronze hand holding a silver hammer inside a gold circle. Under the hand were the letters BPRD and around the circle were two lines of Latin text:

_verum , justicia , licentia_,

Then the words;

_in absentis of lux lucis , obscurum increbresco_

"Emery Quinn," said the man in the tan jacket, "resident Scanner, at your service."

"It's not welcome," said an annoyed Xorat, "and what the hell is a Scanner anyway?"

"It means I can burn a hole in your head with my mind," said Emery Quinn, "but then, I'd have to leave my muscle-bound comrades out of the picture."

"That means us," said another male voice. There stood a boy in his late teens. He was tall, over sic feet, with short blond hair and dark green eyes and was heavily muscled, as if he worked out several times a day.

With him was a girl, also in her late teens, with shoulder-length, natural gray hair and dark green eyes. She too was heavily muscled, but not as much as the boy. He wore a gray and white shirt with jeans, while she wore a blue shirt and red shorts. Both had on a tan jacket with the hammer badge. They were clearly twins, but not identical.

"Clive and Clare Iverson," said Emery Quin, "'grapplers'"

"I don't give a flying frak who or what you people are," said an irate Xorat, "the girl is coming with us!"

"Over our dead bodies," said Clare Iverson as she and her brother Clive cracked their knuckles.

"No!" shouted Victoire, "this isn't supposed to happen! Don't interfere! I don't want you to get hurt!"

"Well, we're sorry, Ms. Weasley," said Emery Quinn, "but we can't just sit back and let them take you."

"Do you have any idea what that would do to your parents?" Angelina asked, "and your grandparents, your whole family, how would they feel?"

"They'd feel a lot better knowing that no one else got hurt!" insisted Victoire.

"The only ones who are going to get hurt," said Clive Iverson, "are those two maniacs," he pointed at Xorat and Kiraxi.

"We'll see about that," said Kiraxi, 'and just who the hell are you? You're clearly not magic users."

"How right you are," said Emery Quinn, "myself and the Iverson twins are known as Meta Humans. The accepted theory is that we are the next step in human evolution. Some Meta Humans have powers of the body, others of the mind. I fall in the later category."

"And we're physical, all the way," said Clare Iverson.

"Looks like your intelligence didn't evolve with the rest of you," said Kiraxi as she pulled out her jet injector, "you're either crazy or stupid to try and tangle with us."

"Crazy is what we do," said Clive Iverson, "we work for The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense; fighting, and killing, otherworldly threats, like you two, is what we do on a regular basis."

"As for why we're here at Hogwarts," said Emery Quinn, "to make a long story short, the BPRD formed an alliance with the wizarding world, sort of a mutual protection pact."

"The pact was made after a rather unpleasant incident about 15 years ago," said Neville, "when a race of robotic aliens hell bent on wiping out all magic tried to invade the world."

"But a very dear friend of ours helped repulse the invasion," said Cho.

"You know the story, Victoire," said Angelina, "how Hermione, Rebecca, Jill and the others went aboard the Technomancer mother ship and stalled their Coordinator, while Harry, John and Max infiltrated the ship and sabotaged the engine."

"And everyone crammed into an escape pod and fell back to Earth," said Victoire, "and ever since, it was agreed that Hogwarts would play host to a handful of Meta Humans from The Bureau. They would teach the students self defense and survival techniques, in the event that one would find themselves without magic in the face of a dreadful foe."

"Enough of this crap!" snapped Xorat.

"My thoughts exactly!' said Emery Quinn, "so have a taste of them!" he then focused his gaze on Xorat. A sudden pulse of energy could be felt in the air.

"Oh please," said Xorat in a nonchalant tone, "this is pointless," he raised his hand to charge up a beam of crimson energy, but he suddenly froze all over.

"What are you waiting for?" Kiraxi asked, "fry them!"

"I'm trying to!" said Xorat in a frustrated tone, "but…I can't move!"

"I've stopped your motor functions," said Emery, "you're still alive, assuming a loathsome abomination of a creature like you can even be called alive in the first place, but your powers have been rendered null and void."

"You haven't stopped my powers!" said Kiraxi as she summoned her black Keyblade, "to hell with our orders! It's killing time!"

"I was hoping you'd say that," said an eager Clare as she pulled out a metal rod that was about a foot long. She pressed a hidden switch and the rod unfolded into a spear. Clive also took out a rod that unfolded into a spear, "let's dance!" they both shouted.

"My lead!" said Kiraxi as she rushed at the twins, whom also charged at her. They met with a shower of spark as her dark Keyblade clashed against their spears. She hacked at Clare, she blocked and tried to stab Kiraxi. She dodged, then dodged a thrust from Clive. He then tried to bash the vile biot on the head with the side of his spear, but she parried the blow, then ducked a spear thrust from Clare.

"Look at them go," said an amazed Neville as he, Angelina, Cho and Victoire watched the fight, "I knew that they were formidable, but the twins are simply fantastic."

"Almost as fantastic as Max and the other original Ramblers," said Cho.

"And I thought all those stories of Max Kildare and his friends were exaggerated," aid Victoire. She then looked at Neville, "uh, professor? If it's no too much trouble, can I move now? Or do you want me to just stand here looking like an idiot."

"You stay right were you are, brat!" snapped Xorat, "as soon as I get this psychic whammy off of me, you're all mine!"

"Not this year, abomination!" snapped Emery.

"By all means, Victoire, move," said Angelina, "just don't get any closer to that maniac."

"You really think I want to go with him and the other lunatic?" Victoire asked as she walked towards the three professors, "I'm a little upset by all of this, for your information."

"Of course you're upset," said Cho, "I would if someone was trying to kidnap me."

"I mean the fact that you're only making things worse by trying to help me," said Victoire, "no one was supposed to get hurt, but now…"

"Do you really think so little of us?" Neville asked, "how long have you known me, Victoire Weasley? All your life. You know full well that myself, Angelina, Cho and a lot of other witches and wizards you know, we're in The D.A."

"I know, Dumbledore's Army," said Victoire, "you all fought at The Battle of Hogwarts 20 years ago, and a few other times since then."

"Does that mean you're the best magic users this world have to offer?" Xorat asked.

"Not the best," said Cho in a modest tone, "but among the best."

"I see," said Xorat. He then looked at Emery, "and you, are you the best psychic this world has to offer?"

"You mean Scanner," said Emery, "that's a Meta Human with the highest level of mental abilities. Not only can I paralyze you, I also have telepathy and telekinesis. I'm not claiming to be the absolute best. But I am good friend with the one who _is_ the very best."

"In that case," said a grinning Xorat, "permit me to test my powers against yours!" He then shook violently, his entire body vibrating with energy, yet he couldn't bulge.

"I may not be the absolute best Scanner," said Emery, his face showing the effort he exerted in keeping Xorat contained, "but I'm pretty damn good if you know what I mean."

"Well then," said a viciously grinning Xorat, "I've got just two words to say to that; Raging Storm!" his whole body erupted with crimson energy and he began to move again.

"I can't hold him!" exclaimed Emery as the sudden surge of Xorat's power nearly knocked him off balance, while his nose began bleeding.

"Try and imprison me, will you?" Xorat asked, "try holding this!" His power flared up even more and he completely broke free of Emery's paralyzing technique.

At the same time the second power surge created a psychic backlash that completely knocked Emery off his feet. He gasped in shock and agony as he landed on the ground and was immediately knocked unconscious.

"Now," said Xorat, "the girl!"

"_Stupify_!" exclaimed Neville as he aimed his wand and shot a stunning spell at Xorat. The vile Nobody took the spell and shrugged it off like it was a love tap.

"Is that the best you got?" Xorat asked.

"I think we should call Harry and the others," said Cho as she pulled out a large gold coin from her pocket.

"Harry's on the first real holiday he and Ginny have had in years," said Neville, "the last thing he needs is to come save the world again."

"He's right," said Angelina, "we're Hogwarts Professors, if we can't protect our school and our students, what good are we?"

"You're worthless, that's what!" said Xorat as he shot a beam of crimson energy at the three professors. Neville pulled Victoire out of the way, while Angelia and Cho also dodged the beam.

Angelia then countered with a leg locker curse, but again the spell bounced off of Xorat. Cho then tried a full body bind, but again there was no effect.

"Now can we call Harry?" Cho asked as she, Angelina and Neville flung jinx after hex after curse at the vile Nobody, "or at least the others in the D.A.?"

"We're not defeated yet!" said Neville.

"You lost the second I arrived here," said Xorat, "I, a creature derived of the darkness, am invincible!"

"Darkness?" Neville in a thoughtful manner, "that gives me an idea."

"I'm already ahead of you in that department," said Angelina as she aimed her wand at Xorat, "_Expecto Patronum_!" a sudden burst of white light that radiated with pure goodness and happiness shone from her wand.

The sudden light seemed to cause Xorat real pain. He shielded his eyes from it, "no! Stop it! It burns!"

"I knew it!" said Neville in a triumphant tone, "he's similar to a Dementor in the fact that there is nothing good inside of him. All a creature like him can do is spread pain and misery, but he's helpless against joy and happiness!" He aimed his wand at Xorat, "_Expecto Patronum_!" another white light shot out at Xora.

Again, the vile Nobody shouted in agony and tried to shield himself from the pure happiness of the light, but it still hurt him.

By now Victoire looked as if hope had returned to her, as if she now believed that she, her friends and teachers could win. She took out her wand and aimed it at Xorat, "Expecto Patronum!" she shouted, adding her happiness to the attack.

"Stop it!" said Xorat as his crimson aura flared out and his body began to emit black smoke, the white light of the three Patronus charms beginning to cause real damage to him, "I can't stand the light!"

"Then have a taste of a full corporeal Patronus!" said Cho as she aimed her wand at Xorat, "_Expecto Patronum_!" a large white swan composed of light shot out of her wand and hit Xorat square in the body. He shouted in pure agony as the positive energy greatly damaged him, his body beginning to burn and blister as if from overexposure to the sun. He fell to the ground and curled up in a ball and more and more black smoke rose from his body.

"Keep up the happy thoughts!" said Neville, "we've got him!"

"What are your happy memories, Uncle Neville?" Victoire asked.

"You already know some of them," said Neville, "teaching Herbology, the day I got married, the defeat of Voldemort and so on."

"Same with me," said Angelina.

"Would you mind telling us your happy memory, Victoire?" Cho asked, "oh wait, your cousin James already spread it around Hogwarts last term."

"So what if I snogged Teddy Lupin?" Victoire asked, "I love him and he loves me.

Meanwhile, Kiraxi had been fighting the Iverson twins to a standstill, with neither side able to get past the others defenses. It seemed that the battle between the vile biot and the twin Meta Humans, would continue until someone either made a mistake or ran out of energy, but from the way all three of them were fighting, it looked as if neither of them was going to exhaust themselves or make the wrong move any time soon.

But then Kiraxi heard what Victoire said about love. A look of utmost rage crossed her face. She then jumped away from Clare and Clive and glared at the young witch, "love?" she asked, her voice dripping with contempt, "there's no such thing as love!"

"Yes there is, you horrible monster!" said Victoire.

"No there isn't!" snapped Kiraxi as she pulled out her jet injector and placed it to her neck, "and I'm going to prove it!" she then pressed the trigger, injecting the dose of Formula X-35 into her system. Almost instantly the drug went into effect, distending the veins aroundd her eyes, which became heavily bloodshot.

"Oh yeah," said Kiraxi in a raspy tone as the high of the drug coursed through her, "keep those eyes open!" her black fire aura then flared up. She then rushed at Clare and Clive, her dark Keyblade burning with her vile power.

The twin Meta Humans rushed at her as well their spears raised and ready for more action. But with one slash of the burning Keyblade, Kiraxi sliced through both spearheads. Before Clare and Clive could react, Kiraxi blasted them both with black fireballs, knocking them both to the ground.

Their clothes were made of a fire retardant fiber so at most they were only a little singed, but then Kiraxi rushed in, grabbed Clibe by his left arm and twisted his hand until his wrist broke with a loud and sickening snap.

She released him to writhe on the ground in agony to grab Clare by her right leg and twisted her ankle until it too broke.

"Now for you idiots!" snapped Kiraxi as she sent several black fireballs at the witches and wizard. They were forced to dodge the dark flames, breaking their concentration of their spells.

With no more positive magical light beaming on him Xorat got up. His body slowly began to heal, "you fools," he said as the damage inflicted by the Protonus charms continued to repair itself, "you are so going to pay."

"_Now_ can we call Harry?" Cho asked.

"We're not finished yet," said Neville.

"I wish I had your confidence," said Angelina.

"Oh shut up already!" snapped Kiraxi. She then charged up a massive ball of black fire.

"I agree," said Xorat as he charged up a sphere of crimson energy "enough talk!"

"Oh this is not going to be good," said a worried Cho.

"Full shield charms, now!" said Neville as he, Angelina and Cho clustered around Victoire. The four of them raised their wands, "_Protego Maximun_!" they all shouted and surrounded themselves with a multi-laired magical shield.

"There is no escape!" said Xorat, "die!" he and Kiraxi threw their attacks at the four magic users. The sphere of black fire and the sphere of crimson energy suddenly merged into one. The double sphere had quadrupled in power and hit the shield around the four magic users and created a blast that blinded Xorat and Kiraxi for a second.

But then their vision cleared as the blast faded. The area was obscured by smoke that quickly blew away with the wind, revealing Neville, Angelina, Cho and Victoire all on the ground. They were still conscious, but they weren't in any condition to fight, while Victoire wasn't in any condition to run away.

"Well that was a complete waste of time," said Xorat, "here we were ordered to keep things quiet, and we end up making a mess of things. The mistress isn't going to like this."

"So you serve a dark lord," said Neville as he tried to get up, "well, we've faced dark lords before, and won."

"I serve no dark lord," said Xorat, "I serve the mistress of all evil, Maleficent."

"And I work for Gideon Graves, asshole!" snapped Kiraxi. She then walked over to Neville and kicked him in the stomach, forcing him back down.

"I am so out there," said Kiraxi in a slightly deranged tone, her face lost in a disoriented expression, "I'm like…so full of…I don't know what…" her face then changed to an expression of rage, "now I know! I hate everything! I want to kill! I want to smash things into rubble!" she looked at Hogwarts, "let's destroy it anyway!"

"No!" said Victoire as she managed to get to her feet, "I surrendered, remember? Now take me to your leaders and leave this world and it's people alone!"

"Don't do it, Victoire!" said Cho as she tried to get up, "don't throw your life and freedom away like that!"

"Shut up, whore!" snapped Kiraxi as she walked over and punched Cho in the face, breaking her nose. She then broke Angelina's leg for good measure, "I'll do what I want, when I want, to whomever or whatever I want to!"

"Does that include defying your master?" Xorat asked, "we were ordered to leave Hogwarts be, for the time being. Now let's just break the girl's arms so we can leave before something else happens."

"Yes, break my arms," said Victoire in a terrified yet controlled tone as she placed her wand into her robe pocket, "just do it so we can leave."

At that Kiraxi began to calm down as the high of the drug began to fade, "you all really are a bunch of buzz killers," she walked over to Victoire, "your name ought to be Buzz Killington," with that she then grabbed Victoire by her wrists and twisted her arms, breaking them both in the forearm. She screamed in agony as her radius and ulna in both arms snapped.

"Now we can go," said Xorat as he summoned a Dark Corridor, while Kiraxi dragged Victoire by her wrists, jarring her broken limbs and heightening her pain.

But then Embry Quinn regained consciousness and stood up. He looked exhausted but was fully lucid as he shouted to the two villains, "you'll never get away with this! If there's one thing we Meta Humans of The Bureau are good at, it's avenging a wrong. We'll find and destroy you, and your masters!"

"Don't make me laugh," said Xorat as he walked through the Dark Corridor.

"No, stop!" shouted Neville as he tried to get up again, "Victoire, we'll find you, I promise!"

"I know you will," said Victoire as she struggled against Kiraxi's grip, trying to linger on her world long enough to get one last message through to her friends, "tell Teddy that I love him, and that I also love my family, and tell Uncle Harry that…"

"Oh shut up, you buzz kill bitch," said Kiraxi. With that she roughly pushed Victorie through the Dark Corridor and she walked through it herself. The vile portal then closed up.

"Well, that was probably the worst defeat The Bureau has suffered in a long time," said Clive as he and Clare got up and dusted themselves off.

"The same could be said for the wizarding world," said Angelina.

"Now can we call Harry?" Cho asked, "though I don't know why we should bother, it's too late, we failed."

"It's not over until it's over," said Neville, "we didn't give up when Dumbledore died, we didn't give up when Voldemort took over the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts, we didn't give up when we thought that Harry was dead, we didn't give up whenever a crisis threatened our world, and we're certainly not giving up now!" he then pulled out a gold coin of his own, "yes, Cho, now we call Harry and the others."

* * *

><p>"Six down, one to go!" said Gideon as the image of Victoire was marked by a red X, while another image showed Kiraxi manhandle Victoire down the castle corridors towards the dungeons.<p>

"You sick bastard," said Kairi, "the only way you can win is by setting a junkie on the helpless. I feel so sorry for you."

"The waif has a point, Mr. Graves," said The Negotiator, "Kiraxi is in danger of becoming dependent on X-35. Perhaps we should reduce the dosage, or…"

"She's fine," said Gideon, "and even if she does turn into an addict, it won't matter much longer. Just one more Princess of Heart to capture, then I won't need Kiraxi any more."

"So that's it, isn't it?" an offended Kairi asked, "you're just going to throw her away like garbage? Is that all my biot is worth to you? A tool that you're going to discard once she's served her purpose?"

"Naturally," said Gideon, "I always get rid of the things I no longer need."

"Well what about draining all of my life force into her?" Kairi asked.

"Why should you care?" The Negotiator asked, "you're going to die because of the biot, so why care about her well being?"

"I care because I can," said Kairi, "you'd understand if you had a heart."

"Well I don't," said The Negotiator, "not like a human does. Demons have no need of such frivolous things."

"And you shouldn't worry about such things either," said Gideon to Kairi, "you'll still have your life force drained, alright. Believe me, I won't dispose of Kiraxi until she's absorbed everything you have to give."

"Assuming she lives long enough," said Kairi, "using drugs to make herself stronger will weaken her in other ways, just you wait and see."

"I'm partial to agree with the child," said Maleficent to Gideon, "have care with your creation, least it no longer obeys your commands."

"If you're afraid of Kiraxi becoming a slave to the drug instead of a slave to me," said Gideon, "you can relax. I control the supply of X-35, so if Kiraxi wants more, she'll have to obey me in order to get it.

"And what of your creature? That Nobody, Xorat. Aren't you worried that now that he's had his powers boosted, he'll go rogue on you?"

"Not in the slightest," said Maleficent, "when I separated Taro from his heart and created both his Heartless and Nobody, I infused in both of them the compulsion to obey me without question. Xorat is mine, now and forever."

"I see," said Gideon, "well, we'll see who's minion betrays us first."

* * *

><p>"Second to last roommate, losers!" said Kiraxi as she shoved Victoire into the cell with the other princesses, "hope it doesn't get too crowded in there."<p>

"Why don't you come in here and find out for yourself, bitch," said Sara as the force field reactivated, while Violet and Miley helped Victoire up, but had to be careful of her broken arms, "I'm ready for round two."

"As if you have any strength to fight us," said Xorat.

"Shut the hell up, cake sniffer!" snapped Kiraxi, "I don't need your help taunting the prisoners.

"You don't look so good," said Violet, "I mean it, you should see a doctor."

"I don't need a doctor," said Kiraxi as she pulled out the jet injector and loaded a fresh dose of Formula X-35 into it, "as long as I have this, I need nothing."

"So now you're a drug addict," said Lyra, "I don't need my Alethiometer to know how what a dangerous road you're on."

"You keep this up," said Miley, 'and you'll be more twisted than a pretzel on a 4th of July picnic."

"You're not making any sense," said Kiraxi in a matter of fact tone, "a lot of things don't make much sense right now."

"She means you're turning into a junkie," said Nessie as she sat up from her cot and glared at Kiraxi, "we don't have to wait for Sora and the others to come and defeat you; you're doing it to yourself."

"Keep using those freaking drugs and your mind will turn into mush," said Sara.

"I can quit any time I want," said Kiraxi, "so just sit and spin. We'll be back with the last princess," she looked at Xorat, "the three of us."

"Three?" Xorat asked.

"Thee, me and X-35 makes three," said Kiraxi in an all too cheerful tone. She then skipped down the hallway.

"And I thought she was insane to begin with," said Nessie, "she's going completely schizo," she looked at Xorat, "I'd get rid of her before she turns on you."

"I agree," said Victoire, "that potion she's so fond of could confuse her to the point where she could attack anyone or anything on the slightest provocation."

"You think yo can turn me against her, don't you?" Xorat asked, "not this year. If she becomes a threat to my mistress or to the plan, then I will eliminate her, and only if ordered by Maleficent." with that he hurried after Kiraxi.

"Well," sighed Nessie, "it was worth trying."

"I doubt anything we can say or do could get through those two maniacs," said Victoire, "they're pure evil, especially the red head."

"To think that she was created out of one of the nicest, most pure hearted person I've ever known," said Sara.

"Kairi's biot reduced to a drug addict," said Miley, "not a pretty picture."

"Oh, sorry," said Sara, "we haven't introduced ourselves to our new friend." She and the others then introduced themselves to Victoire. When Lyra introduced Pan, and he also introduced himself, Victoire was surprised, naturally, at the sight of a talking animal, but she acted like she was used to such surprises.

"I go to a school for magic," said Victoire, "I see strange things all the time. But forgive me for not shaking hands," she looked at both broken arms, "I'm in a lot of pain right now."

"I can fix that," said Nessie.

"You can't," said Sara, "you're in no condition to use healing magic."

"It's either that or let Victoire go around with two broken arms," said Nessie, "I volunteered at the hospital with my granpa Carlisle, believe me, I know how long broken bones need to heal for mortals."

"I'm no muggle, mind you," said Victoire. She sighed, "right now I'd give a thousand Galleons for a visit to Madam Pomfrey right now."

"You'll have to just deal with me," said Nessie, "now hold still and you'll be better before you know it." She cracked her knuckles, placed her hands on her shoulders and sent a burst of healing magic into the young witch.

Victoire gasped in surprise as her bones knitted together. Within seconds her arms were good as new, "that's incredible!" she said as she moved her healed arms about, "How can you use such powerful magic without a wand?"

"It's an acquired power," said Nessie. Her eyes then suddenly rolled up in her head and she passed out cold. Sara and Lyra managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

"What happened?" Victoire asked, "what's wrong with her?"

"She's half vampire," said Sara as she and Lyra carried Nessie over to her cot and placed her on it, "and her human half is weakened by this cell."

"All our powers have been weakened by this place," said Violet, "I know, it totally sucks."

Victoire pulled out her wand and tried to cast a spell, any spell, but all she got was feeble red sparks, "Okay, this is quite possibly _the _worst case situation."

"There's the understatement of the decade," said Miley.

"We've been trying to find where this power repressing field is coming from," said Lyra, "but even with all of us looking, we've found nothing."

"Maybe you're looking for the wrong thing," said Victoire as she began pacing back and forth. She took off her outer robe, revealing a gray jumper with the crest of her House on it over a white shirt and matching red tie and an angle-length gray skirt, placing her wand behind her ear in a thoughtful manner.

"What's up with that?" Violet asked.

"It's just something I picked up from my aunt Luna," said Victoire, "I have a large, extended family. Now, where I'm from, there's very little that can stop a witch or wizard from using their powers."

"There's very little that can neutralize a Supers' power either and each Super's indivdual Achilles Heel," said Violet, "but how does that help us?"

"If we can reason just what it is that's restraining our powers," said Victoire, "we can stop it before we get any weaker."

"And break out before those two maniacs come back with the last princess of heart," said Sara.

"So instead of looking," said Nessie as she sat up, her voice slightly raspy, "we have to do some thinking."

"You shouldn't exert yourself," said Sara, "save your strength."

"I may be dieing of thirst," said Nessie, "but my brain still completely works, thank you very much."

"But your thirst," said Lyra, "if you need blood, we…"

"I told you before!" snapped Nessie, "I'm not drinking anyone's blood here! I'm on a strictly animal diet, no exceptions at all!"

"Not even to save your own life?" Victorie asked, "there are vampires on my world. There's only rumors and legends about half vampires, but what we do now about vampires is that if they go too long without blood, they starve to death."

"Well I'm not dead yet," said Nessie, "now stop trying to push me off the wagon and let's put our heads to work."

"I agree," said Miley, "enough beating around the bush, let's think of a way out of here!" At that Violet, Sara and Lyra nodded in agreement.

Victoire nodded as well, then pulled out a small gold locket and held it in her hand.

"What's that?" Sara asked.

"What, this?" Victoire asked as she looked at the locket, "it's just something my boyfriend gave me last Christmas. It's part of a match set, he has my picture in his and I've got his in mine," she opened the locket, revealing the picture of a boy, 18 years old, with short brown hair and blue eyes. But then the face of the boy changed, now his hair was long and green and his eyes were also green. He then looked to the left, then to the right, then smiled outward.

"How do you get the picture to change like that?" an amazed Violet asked.

"Well you don't expect the picture to stay still, right?" Victoire asked, "wait, that's right, you're from muggle worlds where there's not much magic."

"Well we certainly don't have holograms like that," said Miley.

"It's no illusion," said Victoire, "not only is my boyfriend, Teddy Lupin, a great wizard, maybe as great as Harry Potter, but he's also a Metamorphmagus; he can change his appearance at will. He's also half werewolf."

"A werewolf!" exclaimed Nessie as she stood up, "like changing into a mindless, bloodthirsty monster at the full moon and can turn people into monsters as well with just one bite? that kind of werewolf?"

"Werewolves aren't that bad," said Victoire, "they're vastly misunderstood people, vastly misunderstood. Teddy's father was a werewolf, and his mum was a Metamorphmagus as well, so he has the best of both worlds. He turns into a werewolf at the sight of the full moon, but unlike other werewolves, he keeps his mind as if he has already taken a wolfsbane potion before, but it's already in him.

"Anyway, not only does he stay sane during that time of the month, but he can change into a werewolf at will due to his shape shifting power. So as I said before, he has the best of both worlds."

"Oh," said Nessie in a deflated tone, "well," she then pulled out a gold locket of her own, "that's different, and it's okay in my book."

"What's that?" Lyra asked, pointing at Nessie's locket.

"It's just something my mother gave me for my first Christmas," said Nessie. She opened the locket, revealing two pictures. On the left was a picture of Bella and Edward, the right showed Jacob.

"That's my mama and papa," said Nessie as she pointed to the left photo, then to the right, "and that's Jacob; he's not a werewolf, but he can turn into a wolf whenever he wants to. I'm going to marry him someday."

"That's wonderful," said Victoire, "I dreamed that Teddy was going to ask me for my hand in marriage after I graduated from Hogwarts, but then the dream changed to what just happened to me."

"You can see the future in your dreams?" Miley asked.

"My aunt Alice sees the future based on people's decisions," said Nessie, "what else did your dreams show?"

"A way out of here?" Violet asked hopefully.

"Nothing like that," said Victoire, "my dream showed me that no matter what, I was going to be captured, as well as the seventh Princess of Heart. But after that, things got so chaotic I could barely tell what was what."

"Then we really are on our own," said Lyra.

"No we're not," said Sara, "we're not alone. We have each other, and as long as our friends, family and loved ones believe in us and we in them, then we'll never be alone."

"Well I know one thing for sure," said Victoire, "right now my friends, family and loved ones are planning my rescue. That's not just wizards, witches and half werewolves. I'm on very good terms with a small army of Meta Humans."

"Are they like Supers?" Violet asked.

"If you mean super heroes," said Victoire, "as in muggle comic books, then yes, they are like that. They're also very passionate about keeping the world safe. They're going to treat my abduction like an act of war, and when Max Kildare and The Ramblers go to war, they fight to win, no matter what.

"And of course, there's my uncle Harry. If there's one mistake the enemy could have made, it's get on the bad side of Harry Potter."

"Just what makes this Harry Potter so special?" Lyra asked.

"It's a long story," said Victoire.

"We have time," said Violet.

"Well," said Victoire, "alright then. It started over a thousand years ago when the four greatest wizards in the world, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin, got together to form a school for magic…"

* * *

><p><strong>…Hogwarts…<strong>

It wasn't long before several Aurors, wizards dedicated to tracking down and defeating those who practice the dark arts, arrived at Hogwarts. At the front of the group of Aurors was Harry Potter, one of the most beloved wizards in the world.

One would be quick to misjudge Harry. At first glance he didn't appear to be a hero. Slightly short with black hair that never seemed to want to fall into place and green eyes behind glasses. All in all Harry seemed an ordinary middle aged man, except for the lightingbolt-shaped scar on his forehead that had a slight purple tinge to it.

Yet this was no ordinary man, despite his desire for a quiet life. In one form or another, Harry had either had trouble thrown upon him or had dove headlong into it. In one form or another, Harry had been forced to deal with one crisis after another ever since he was told the truth about his heritage, among the biggest being having to fight and destroy the Dark Lord Voldemort, then having to thwart an invasion of robotic aliens, traveling to another universe to recover a stolen book of dark magic, and so on.

In recent years the world seemed to need him less and less, allowing Harry to take things easy and spend more time with his family. But trouble, like a bad Knutt, always found its way back to Harry, and today was no exception.

He lead the group of Aurors up the path leading from the village of Hogsmead to the castle, meeting Neville and the other professors, as well as Emery, the Iversons and several of the older Hogwarts students, by the lake.

"Harry," said Neville in a relieved tone, "they…they took Victoire."

"It's just as the foreseerers predicted," said Emery Quinn, "two dark maniacs from another world would take the witch with the pure heart."

"And yet you did nothing to prevent this travesty before it happened," said a stern voice. There in dark green robes stood Minerva Mcgonagall, headmistress of Hogwarts, "why was the school not warned beforehand that one of my students was in danger of abduction?"

"We weren't sure that it was Victoire until it was almost too late," said Clive.

"We were lucky to be here when we got the call from HQ," said Clare.

"You always did say that Divination wasn't the most exact of arts taught at Hogwarts, headmistress," said Angelina.

"That's beside the point, Professor Johnson-Weasley,' said Mcgonagall, "an innocent child was taken from this school and I demand to know why. And what is to be done about getting her back."

"That's exactly what we're going to do, Minerva," said Harry, "but we need to gather all the facts before we do anything. I need to know exactly what happened here."

"I'll tell you what happened here," said Clare, "we got out asses handed to us by a psychotic junkie."

"One of the abductors administered some sort of drug that increased her power," said Emery, "I may have been passed out, but I was still aware of what was going on. The girl villain, her name is Kiraxi, I gleamed that from her twisted mind, horrible place in there it is, she's a biot."

"A biot?" one of the Aurors asked, "is that some sort of muggle word?"

"It's an organic machine," said Harry, "and this drug addict of a biot, she defeated the twins and three Hogwarts Professors?"

"It's not as if we didn't try," said Cho, "we had the other one, that dark man who was completely helpless against the Patronus charm."

"That creature is known as a Nobody," said Emery, "which is the empty shell of a person that's still alive but has no heart. As for the heart, that part had already became a Heartless."

"I don't understand," said one of the Aurors.

"I think we should wait for everyone to get here," said Harry, "if anyone can explain this, it's both Hermione and Virgil."

"In the meanwhile, said Mcgonagall, "we should best prepair for the wrath to come."

"What do you mean, headmistress?" Neville asked. He then paled in shock, "oh no, you didn't…did you?"

"I had to send an owl to her parents," said Mcgonagall, "Bill and Fleur have the right to know that their daughter has been abducted."

Just then from the path to Hogsmead came a wizard and a witch, both vastly different from the other yet also complete each other in heart. Bill Weasley had the trademark red hair of his family. He was tall and kept his hair shoulder length. Several healed claw marks marred his face, a memento of a werewolf attack several years ago.

His wife Fleur was the polar opposite of him in appearance. Her Veela ancestry gave her exceptional beauty, with long slivery blond hair and blue eyes.

"What in the name if sanity is this?" exclaimed Fleur in a frantic tone as she rushed forward to the group beside the lake, "where is my daughter!"

"We…don't actually know where she was taken," said Angelina, "but…"

"We're working on a plan on getting her back," said Cho, "we just need to get everyone here so we can plan."

"Plans be damned!" exclaimed Fleur, "I want my daughter back now!"

"Fleur, please," said Bill, "don't make a spectacle of yourself."

"I'm not making a fool of myself!" said Fleur, "I'm pretty damn upset, and so should you. My god, Bill, our firstborn child has been taken by these two horrible…things, from another world. I just can't stand here and do nothing while the ones who took her do who knows what kind of horrible things to her."

"She's unharmed," said Emery, "aside from a pair of broken arms. But that aside, she won't be hurt. The enemy needs her alive."

"But why?" Fleur asked, "why did they take my little Victoire?"

"That's what I want to know," said a male voice. There coming up the path was Teddy Lupin, "can someone tell me why Victoire was taken?"

"Oh great," sighed Angelina, "Next thing you know, George, Charlie, Ron, Molly, the whole family will be here."

"Bite your tongue," said Cho, "if Harry has his way, the entire D.A., half the Aurors on both sides of the pond and all of The Ramblers will be here."

"That may just work out," said Harry. He then addressed his godson, "Teddy, I know you're upset by this, and…"

"Damn right I'm upset," said Teddy, "so when do we go?"

"Go where?" Harry asked.

"After Victoire, of course," said Teddy, "we're not going to just stand here and wait, are we?"

"He's right, Harry," said Neville, "we should get everyone here so we can plan the rescue."

"We can go after her," said Emery, "the combined power of both wizards and meta humans can open portals to other worlds. All we need to do is figure out which one to go to."

"There's more to that," said Harry, "but yes, that's the general idea," he then looked at Teddy, "but we'll do it without you."

"What?" Teddy asked, "of course I'm going with you. Victoire is my girlfriend."

"All the more reason for you to stay," said Bill, 'you'll most likely go mad with desperation and do something that could get yourself murdered."

"Or worse, others as well," said Harry, "and the same thing applies to you and Fleur, Bill. I'm sorry, but you're staying on this world as well."

"What?" both Bill and Fleur exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, but you just can't come," said Harry, "it's not that I don't want you to help, but with you being Victoire's parents, you might also do something that could endanger yourselves or others."

"But she's our daughter," said Fleur.

"You'd feel the same way if your children were taken, Harry," said Bill.

"I know," said Harry, "I would risk everything to safe my sons and daughters if they were in danger, and I know Ginny would kill me if I let anything happen to them. But that's beside the point. You just can't come."

"And are you going to stop us?" Fleur asked.

"If I have to," said Harry in a stern tone, "I may no longer be on active duty at the Ministry of Magic, but I'm still Head Auror and have all the rights and authority that goes with that office. If I have to I can have you, Bill, and even you, Teddy, detained until the crisis was over."

"You'd deny your own godson the right to save the one he loves?" Teddy asked.

"I'm keeping you out of this because you are my godson," said Harry, "I promised your father that I'd look after you, and…"

"And you did, Harry," said Teddy, "you and Ginny looked after me like I was your own, and I'll always love the both of you for it, you and the rest of the family, and the D.A. and the Ramblers.

"But I'm not a child anymore. I'm of age, a wizard with his full powers and legal rights. I'm fully capable of making my own decisions, and I choose to go with you to save Victoire, and maybe the world as well."

"You still don't get it, do you," said Harry, "this isn't some story where a hero goes off on an adventure to save the day. If what the fore-seers at the Bureau and all the recent prophecies are saying is true, and I hope they're not, then what's coming could make Voldemort, Shannon Revek, the Technomancers, even the demonic gods all look like flobberworms. This could be _the one_."

"You mean, the one mission that not even Max Kildare could survive?" Clare asked in an uncertain tone, "the one where not even The Indestructible Man could come back from?"

"I wish it weren't," said Harry, "but if we fail to save Victoire and stop whatever this new enemy is planning, then yes, it'll be the one where Max, Jill, Leon and Andrew all die in."

"And I thought that the gypsy blessing was just a story they told noobs," said Clive.

"Well, I'm still going," said Teddy, "and before you say anything, Harry, here me out. I want to go, not just to save the one witch in all of the world that I want to spend my life with, not just for adventure or glory, which I really don't want.

"I want to go because I know that I can make a difference. Call it instinct, call it insanity if you want, but I believe that if I go, there will be something that I'll do that could change things for the better. "Yes, I know that if I go I could die, and maybe others will die because of me, but I'm willing to take that chance, because going would be the right thing to do."

"Are you sure about that?" Harry asked, "because if you do go, there may not be a chance to go back."

"As if I would run away from this," said Teddy, "didn't Dumbledore say that there comes a time in all of us where we have to choose between what's right and what's easy? Well I believe that going would be right, and staying behind all to easy."

"He has a point there, Harry," said Bill.

Harry wanted to say something that would make Teddy change his mind, but then something happened that would change _his_ mind about the whole thing.

Everyone looked up in the sky at the sound of a phoenix cry echoed across the lake. From out of the sun came the phoenix, large as a swan with crimson feathers.

"Is that…?" Neville asked.

"Can it be?" Angelina asked.

"Fawkes," said an astonished Harry as the red phoenix circled above the group beside the lake, marveling at the sight of Dumbledore's loyal pet.

"What's that he's carrying?" Cho asked.

Indeed, the phoenix was carrying something in his claws, something long that shone brightly in the sun.

Fawkes swooped down and landed next to Teddy on one claw and deposited the object in front of the young wizard with the other claw.

It was a beautifully crafted sword, with a blade that shone like silver and an egg-sized rubies in the handle. Etched into the blade were the words GODRIC GRYFFINDOR.

"I'll be thrice damned!" said one of the aurors.

"The sword of Gryffindor," said an amazed Teddy as he gazed at the blade. He then looked at Fawkes, "for me?"

The phoenix nodded once, then took flight, singing his balm-like song as he rose into the air and vanished into the sun.

"There goes a strange creature," said Cho.

"Surely by now you've seen enough of the sword to know some of it's secrets," said Neville, "it'll present itself to any Gryffindor in need."

"And Teddy is surely in need of it," said Angelina.

"Go on, Teddy," said Harry in a tone that said he now knew that his godson had to go with him, "it's yours."

Cautiously, Teddy gripped the handle of the sword and lifted it up. He then stepped back and took a few experimental swings of it, getting the feel of it. Before he knew it, he was practicing sword strokes and movements that an experienced sword master would need years to learn.

"How does he know how to do that?" Clive asked.

"That's one of the powers old Godric put into his sword," said Neville, "whomever wields it knows how to use it instantly."

"Just hold on, Victoire," said Teddy as he held the sword up over his head, "I'm coming."

* * *

><p><strong>…The streets of The World that Never Was…<strong>

"How's the planning coming?" Tylek asked.

"It's going pretty well," said Reddik sarcasticly as he looked up from a set of papers on a desk, "it's hopeless, absolutely hopeless."

"Why are you giving up so quickly?" Falkon asked.

"Believe me, it's not that simple," said Rakel, "we've examined the situation from all angles, and no matter how we plan it, we lose. Even if with all the powers of the commoners, and even if we could convince the remaining nobles to help us, if we fight a direct confrontation with Maleficent, Gideon, the demons, Heartless and Nobodies, we just can't win. No matter what strategy we employ, we're still grossly outnumbered and outgunned."

"So?" Tylek asked, "we have powers that Heartless, Nobodies and demons lack. We're not outgunned, nor outnumbered."

"Alright," sighed Rakel, "bad choice of words, but it makes no difference. Maleficent keeps summoning more and more Heartless and Nobodies. The second the fighting starts, Maleficent will order her hordes to destroy us. We'd be overwhelmed before we had a chance to do it."

"Do what?" Pete asked.

"Kill both Maleficent and Gideon," said Reddik, "even though Maleficent has tossed our people aside in favor of the demons, if we fight she will take it as an insult and will become obsessed with our destruction. She'll throw her full resources and powers against us, exterminating the Hakonian race, before we have a chance of killing her, for our only chance of freedom is to kill her, and Gideon for good measure."

"Well, we'll have to fight anyway," said Falkon, "or slowly die out. If our destiny is to die, then I'd rather die fighting."

"As would I," said Hektor, "as would the rest of our people."

"Speaking of which," said Falkon, "perhaps it would be a good idea to get the nobles to help us."

"And just how are you going to do that?" Rakel asked, "and just which of the nobles will you ask for help?"

"Why, Nikolai and Katarina of course," said Falkon.

At that Reddik and Rakel laughed cruelly, but also with real humor. They then realized that Falkon was being serious and they stopped laughing, "are you out of your mind?"

"Perhaps," said Falkon.

Just then Pete came in carrying armloads of fresh documents, "what's going on?" he asked.

"Falkon just suggested that we ask Nikolai and Katarina for help," said Rakel, "it's completely insane!" she shouted as she glared at Falkon, "those two are some of the most arrogant nobles of them all. There's no way in this life or the next that they'll help us."

"They can," said Falkon, "and they will, if it's worth their while."

"What do you mean?" Reddik asked.

"And just how do you expect Nikolai and Katarina to even talk to us?" Rakel asked.

"Leave that to me," said a mischievously smiling Falkon, "as to how they'll help us, we'll make them an offer they simply cannot refuse. I intend to offer them the one thing their nobility and power cannot give them."

At that Rakel blinked in surprise as realization dawned on her, "you're going to prevent their marriage!"

"That's brilliant!" said Reddik, "they hate each other and they're being forced to wed. Their parents have great influence over the other nobles, and hope that the two of them would produce an offspring who would resurrect the old empire."

"But if they could get out of the marriage," said Rakel, "and be allowed to go their separate ways, then they'd gladly help us, even if it was treason against the other nobles."

"But they have friends among the nobles," said Reddik, "friends whom they could influence into helping us fight. But can it be done? Can they be made to listen to us?"

"I'll leave that to you," said Falkon, "just worry about what you need to say, I'll bring them here."

"But how?" Reddik asked, "if you use a Dark Corridor, Maleficent or someone else will sense it."

"I have my resources," said Falkon, "my own dirty little secrets."

"I can't wait to hear them," said Reddik.

* * *

><p><strong>…Hakonian Prime…The Past…<strong>

"I'll ask again," said the Hakonian with the mixed eyes, "what's a Time Lord doing on Hakonian Prime?"

"I'm not saying anything until my lawyer arrives," said The Doctor as he confidently crossed his arms.

"I'm afraid the right to due process was rescinded long ago throughout the entire empire," said the Hakonian.

"Wait, you don't have the rights to fair trials and lawyers here?" Amy asked.

"All judicial matters are handled by the Enforcement Bureau," said the mixed-eyed Hakonian, "'guilty until proven innocent,' that's their policy, unless you're part of the gentry, then you're automatically innocent."

"Can't anyone do anything about it?" Rory asked, "what about mass demonstrations and signing petitions. It worked on Earth."

"My friend from beyond the known universe," said the Hakonian, "the nobles assumed absolute power over the whole Hakonian race long ago and crushed nearly all thought of resistance, long before the wars with the aliens got started. What you see here," he indicated the warehouse full of Hakonians and equipment, "is possibly the best effort there is in bringing down the hegemony."

"Things can't be that bad for you," said Aiden, "surely you're not the only one rebelling against the authority."

"Oh, there are other rebel groups scattered across Hakonian Prime," said the man with mixed eyes, "and on other worlds in the empire. And don't call me Shirley. My name is Karl Nightcaller."

"Pleased to meet you, Karl Nightcaller," said The Doctor as he abruptly shook the Hakonian's hand, "I'm The Doctor. These are my otherworldly companions, Aiden Mackenzie, and Amy and Rory Pond."

"I wish I could say that I'm pleased to meet you as well," said Karl Nightcaller, "but things aren't going as smoothly as I'd hoped they'd be. Come to think of it, things never go as planned unless you're really, really lucky," he then leaned forward and looked at The Doctor seriously, "now, I won't ask again. Kindly tell me why you are here, or else."

"Or else what?" Amy asked, "you'll throw us to the lions?"

"Not a bad idea," said Karl Nightcaller, "the empire has imported dozens of species of lions from several different worlds, all for the pleasure gardens and zoos that the gentry so enjoys, as well as the gladiator events that help keep the masses under control. But I was thinking more along the line of beaming you back to The Enforcement Bureau and let that maniac, Dunkan Shadowhunter, have his way with you."

"It'd be easy," said the female Hakonian whom operated the transporter that brought the travelers to the warehouse.

"My friend Jessika Ravenfist has been itching to use her pirated Transmat device ever since she brought it online," said Karl Nightcaller.

"I'd rather not meet that lunatic ever again, thank you very much," said Rory.

"I'm glad you feel that way," said Karl Nightcaller, "Dunkan happens to be in charge of The Enforcement Bureau, and only bothered to dirty his hands with the likes of you because the High Command had never seen the likes of you outworlders before."

"That's something that has been bothering me," said The Doctor, "that maniac, Dunkan, he said that the scientists of the empire has 'proven' that time travel is impossible, whereas you clearly know that I am a Time Lord."

"The scientists who 'proved' that time travel is impossible were Imperially Sponsored Scientists," said Jessika Ravenfist, "and they only got the job because they were part of the gentry. And those idiots couldn't tell a microchip from a microwave oven."

"The same applies to Dunkan," said Karl, "nearly every important job in the empire is occupied by one of the nobles because they are nobles, and most of the nobles are idiots who enjoy abusing their powers whenever possible."

"That's not right," said Amy, "it's not right at all. How can the empire be run by idiots?"

"The Hakonians I faced were part of the gentry," said Aiden, "and only one of them was an idiot, and she only pretended to be an idiot so she could play political games."

"You say you've fought those in the gentry?" Karl asked, "anyone I've heard about?"

"I doubt it," said Aiden in an uncomfortable tone, not sure just how much he should tell these Hakonians about the future of their race.

"But how can the empire be run by idiots whom happen to be the upper class?" Amy asked.

"Well, I suspect that they've got the military backing them up," said The Doctor.

"It's a bit more complicated than that," said Jessika as she pulled up a chair and sat down, "since you outlanders wish to know, I'll try to explain. Since long before recorded history, since the ancient days of legend, all Hakonians have possessed extraordinary powers of the body and mind. Some have super strength, others with enhanced intelligence, others with psychic abilities

"This was a time before the empire, long before Hakonian Prime was united under one flag. The world was divided into nearly a thousand warring nations. Our kind have always had an aggressive streak about them, so the climate was one of constant conflict in one part of the world or another.

"Sometimes one nation would destroy another, other times one nation would enslave another, while others would form alliances so they could destroy or enslave others, before betraying each other later on.

"Eventually more and more nations formed larger and larger alliances, until the world was divided between half a dozen superpowers. One of these alliances, The Hakoni League, the direct progenitors of the current political climate, set out to conquer the whole world and bring peace. One last war to end all wars, and they succeeded, thus giving birth to The Hakonian Empire.

"The first thing the leaders of the empire did was declare that all Hakonians were equal and were entitled to the same rights and privileges. What the rest of the world didn't know was that the leaders thought themselves more equal than the rest, which would eventually result in them setting themselves up as the overlords of the whole race, with everyone else as merely peasants to be bossed around.

"Yet even as the world was settling under the rule of a unified empire, the leaders set our natural aggression out on the universe. Instead of having us fight among ourselves, we'd fight aliens, one world at a time. It didn't take our scientists long to discover faster than light travel, as well as advanced weaponry that enabled us to dominate the nearby habitable solar systems.

"Year after year, century after century, millennium after millennium, the empire expanded through one star system after another. With each world conquered the lower masses thrived and multiplied, while the gentry grew in numbers more slowly, but faster in power.

"The overlords then secured their power over the proletarians by implementing a new 'training program' in their military. All new recruits in the military were brainwashed into being completely loyal to the nobles and their system. The program was expanded into the police and the new secret police, so by the time anyone realized that they had a hegemony on their hands, it was too late for the masses to do anything about it. The military had the numbers and resources to go anywhere in the empire and crush any sign of dissent, even going so far as 'euthanizing' a world that wasn't completely in line with the gentry's system.

"And that's how it's been for thousands of years. An all powerful nobility, albeit lacking intelligence in some areas, directing an overwhelming military at conquers one world after another in dozens of galaxies. Not even The Dakels could defeat our military.

"While on the conquered worlds, especially on the homeworld, the civilians enjoy perfect health and long life and modest luxury, and unemployment is all but unheard of, as are illiteracy, hunger and crime, but there's no freedom. Sure, there's doctors and civil servants taking care of the people, but the gentry receives the best of everything from healthcare to culinary delights.

"Not even the children of the masses are immune. Right from the get go they're subjected to educational programs that brainwashes them into obeying the nobles without question. Only a handful of Hakonians resist the conditioning, and most of those are taken to 'correctional facilities' such as the Enforcement Bureau, where they're either lobotomized or executed, either way they're no longer threats to the rule of the gentry.

"Myself, Karl and a bare handful scattered across the empire are free in mind and able to resist the overlords. We have access to all the resources we need to bring down the gentry, we even have a plan that has a decent chance of success."

"But you need us for some reason," said The Doctor, "otherwise you wouldn't have bothered to save us."

"Right in one, Doctor," said Karl, "now, for the love of the darkness, tell me why you and your companions are here, before I regret saving your sorry hides."

"We came here by accident," said Aiden, "The Doctor was trying to get me back to my own time and space so I can help my friends, but we arrived her instead. Now that I've thought about it, I'm not so sure that our coming here was by accident."

"What do you mean?" Jessika asked.

At that Aiden sighed before continuing, "you're going to think that I'm crazy, but in my time, the Hakonians I've fought said that their empire fell some time after the war with The Daleks ended. They were descendents of the nobles who fled the fall of the empire."

"Then our plan _is _going to succeed!" said an ecstatic sounding Karl, "we defeat the gentry and send them into exile! We bring down the hegemony!" He turned to face the other Hakonians in the warehouse, "listen to me, brothers and sisters! We're going to win! Our plan will liberate our people and drive those selfish bastards into exile where they belong!" That caused the other Hakonians to cheer happily. But one Hakonian wasn't celebrating prematurely.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're not telling us the whole truth?" Jessika asked Aiden.

At that Aiden knew he was being backed into a corner. How could he tell these people whom were fighting for their freedom that their plan, whatever it was, was going to lead to the complete destruction of their empire, and that only a handful of their entire race would survive, only to still be dominated by the remains of the gentry throughout the ages until the pitiful remnant of their race arrived on New Hollow Bastion to be in turn dominated by Maleficent.

But The Doctor saved Aiden from being trapped, "well he can't tell you _everything _that's going to happen, now can he? That would spoil things."

"I suppose you're right," said Jessika, although she eyed Aiden and The Doctor with suspicion.

By now the excited Hakonians had calmed down enough to get back to business, "so," said Karl, "it comes to this. We have a plan that can work, and we have the resources needed to implement it. What we don't have is the time to finish it."

"When we heard that the war with The Daleks was over," said Jessika, "we realized that it was now or never. The majority of the military, with all their resources, are still at the front and won't be returning to imperial territory for a few days at the earliest in order to ensure that The Daleks aren't pulling a fast one. The handful of military personal here on Hakonian Prime are either administrative staff or soldiers and sailors on leave, so all we in the rebellion have to worry about are the police, both regular and secret.

"With the military still weeks away, even with FTL drive at maximum, our plan needs far longer than that to be put into action. By the time we're ready, the war fleets will be back deep in the empire and will be able to reach Hakonian Prime and stop us."

"And you need our help to finish your plan before your window of opportunity closes," said The Doctor.

"Only you, Doctor," said Karl, "your companions are merely here to make sure that you cooperate."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Aiden asked, "I can help with whatever you're doing."

"True," said Jessika, "your abilities are impressive. You can help," she looked at Amy and Rory, "but you two are little more spectators in this grand scheme."

"I'm not chopped liver either," said Rory, "I am a nurse."

"With all due respect," said Jessika, "our medical knowledge compared to yours is like comparing multitronic circuits to vacuum tubes."

"I can still help!" Rory insisted.

"So can I," insisted Amy, "so what's the plan?"

At that Karl and Jessika looked at each other in silent discussion before finally looking at the four travelers, "the plan involves infecting the Supreme Computer Core with a virus," said Karl.

"Despite the gentry's authority and powers," said Jesska, "as well as the overwhelming military strength, the stability of the empire rests on two key factors; first, a subspace network that allows real time communications across the multitudes of worlds and colonies in the empire. This network allows not only audio and visual communication and data transmission, but also keeps the entertainment programs and news shows running round the clock, adding to the brainwashing programs that keep the trillions of Hakonians under control. The nobles are genetically immune to the programs, but the commoners are helpless, unless they're different, like us rebels."

"Probably a minor genetic mutation," said Rory, "like blue eyes showing up when everyone else has brown eyes."

"It's a bit more complicated than that," said Jessika, "but in a nutshell, yes. Anyway, the second key factor is the Transmat system. Even with FTL drive, allowing a warship to cross the length and berth of the empire in a matter of weeks, other starships aren't nearly as fast. It'd take a cargo ship scores of years to bring critical supplies from a factory world to a colony world on the edge of the empire.

"That's where Transmat, or T-Mat, comes in. It allows near instantaneous transmission of matter from one world to another."

"Like the transporter," said Aiden, "my friends and I have a starship with one."

"And I've seen T-Mat more than once," said The Doctor, "including one incident involving The Ice Warriors."

"Oh, don't even bring up The Ice Warriors," said Karl, "the war we had with those reptile bastards was a nightmare, and don't even get me started on our war with the Zygons."

"Remind me to tell you about The Silurians and the Sea Devils," said The Doctor.

"If I can continue," said Jessika, "the T-Mat allows not only materials, but persons as well, to travel from world to world. The system is especially necessary for Hakonian Prime. The entire world is one big city. All resources, foodstuffs, materials for construction and repair, and the removal of waste materials, it all relies on the T-Mat. There are other city-worlds in the empire, and the outer colonies also rely on supplies from factory worlds, and they rely on a steady supply of raw materials, but one as extensive as Hakonian Prime needs supplies round the clock.

"Both the Subspace network and the T-mat are coordinated through the Supreme Computer Core. It's a massive supercomputer complex here on Hakonian Prime. Only a handful of the gentry have access to the inner workings of the complex, and even fewer have access to the main terminal. These happen to be the only real scientists and computer technicians in pretty much the whole empire, while the complex itself is guarded by a small army.

"If we can gain access to the complex and the main computer terminal inside, we can infect the system with a virus that will transfer control of the Subspace network and T-Mat to us."

"Whom so ever controls both systems controls the empire," said Karl, "with the network and T-Mat under our control, we can force the gentry to relinquish power and authority and finally, finally allow freedom and democracy to flourish throughout the empire."

"And we can get away from the darkness," said Jessika, "as well as The Heartless."

"You know about The Heartless?" a surprised Aiden asked.

"We've known about The Heartless for a long time," said Karl, "I'll tell you about it sometime. Anyway, once we have control over the Subspace network and T-Mat, we can force the gentry to step down, or we'll turn both systems off."

"Within minutes the empire will begin to crumble," said Jessika, "we're so reliant on both systems that chaos will settle in almost instantly. That's why we need to do this before the military comes back, otherwise they'll be able to quell the riots and uprisings that's bound to occur."

"Wouldn't the military still be able to do that even if they're so far away?" Amy asked.

"They would," said Jessika, "but they're also dependant on the network for communications and coordination. The military's headquarters is also on Hakonian Prime. They have their own supercomputer, but it's tied into the Supreme Computer Core, like everything else in the empire. Without the network, the military computers wouldn't be able to communicate with each other and also with the war fleets. The armadas wouldn't be able to navigate in hyperspace and their main weapons wouldn't be able to lock onto their targets.

"More so, the Computer Core also keeps all our hover vehicles in the air, while also handles all monetary transactions. Not all of the nobles wealth is in gold and other precious metals. The Computer Core regulates all financial transactions and keeps the credit system flowing."

"One supercomputer does all of that?" Rory asked.

"A lot of brilliant men and women were part of the gentry in the past," said Karl, "not all of them have been irresponsible idiots, but not enough good people were among them to make a difference, not anymore that is."

"So you intend to use a computer virus to hijack the brains of the empire," said Amy, "and you intend to turn this supercomputer off?"

"Absolutely not!" said a shocked Jessika, "the virus is supposed to give us direct control over the supercomputer, nothing more or less. We will be in control of both the subspace network and T-Mat, as well as pretty much everything else in the empire. But as to actually turning the systems off, that'll be a bluff."

"Trillions across dozens of galaxies will die in the ensuing chaos if we turn the supercomputer off," said Karl, "not just the gentry, but the innocent people who's only crime is not thinking for themselves. What will be turned off is the brainwashing programs. We're going to wake up the empire and bring about an age of true peace and enlightenment."

"It's all in our manifesto," said Jessika, while one Hakonian brought over several copies of a very thick pamphlet and handed them to Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory, "These are printouts of what will be broadcasted throughout the empire once we have control."

"This all depends on if you can get the gentry to surrender," said Rory.

"All their luxuries and decadences depend on the supercomputer," said Karl, "once we threaten to send the whole empire into chaos, they'll give up, if only to keep their baubles and toys and financial assets."

"We'll keep them happy," said Jessika, "safe and happy, just like they've kept us for so long. Those who will not accept our terms, and we're expecting the majority of the nobles to refuse, they'll simply be cast out of the empire, banished, never to ever return under pain of death. We're not bloodthirsty maniacs that'll want to murder our oppressors, not while we have alternatives. We're not barbarians after all."

"We merely wish to turn the tables on those who kept us down for so long," said Karl.

"I'll admit," said Aiden as he leafed through the pamphlet, "it's a brilliant plan."

"And it could actually work," said The Doctor, "but why do you need our help?"

"The problem is that the computer virus just isn't ready yet," said Jessika, "we need to be able to defeat the highly extensive security protocols of the supercomputer. That's the only thing we need to finish. Our T-Mat device can get us inside the computer complex, and we have enough fighters to hold off the army around the complex," she looked at Aiden, "although one more fighter would be more than welcome."

"Just let me at them!" said Aiden eagerly, "I'll show those oppressive pigs who's the boss."

"Now hang on a second," said The Doctor, "we never said we would actually help you."

"Ah, now comes the part that needs talking about," said Karl, "you, Doctor, have the knowledge we need to finish the virus before the armadas return to the empire, while we have something of yours that you'll surely want back."

"If you're thinking about handing us back to that maniac Dunkan," said Amy, "we can handle ourselves against him and The Enforcement Bureau."

"I'm not talking about that psychopath and his merry band of idiots," said Karl, "I'm talking about this." He signaled to one of the Hakonians, whom brought up a holographic projector that showed an image of The TARDIS in another warehouse guarded by other rebel Hakonians.

"How'd you get that!" Amy demanded, while The Doctor looked at Karl in shock.

"You said that you've encountered T-Mat technology before, Doctor," said Jessika, "but our technology is vastly advanced. As soon as we detected your TARDIS we began watching you and your companions. As soon as you were on the main street, we locked onto your time machine and beamed it to one of our safe holds."

"Here's the deal, Doctor," said Karl, "you and your companions will help us bring light to an empire that's drowning in the darkness, and you will get your TARDIS back, safe and sound. You and your companions will then be free to go your own way, no questions asked."

"And if we refuse?" The Doctor asked.

"Then you'll be stuck here in the empire until we succeed," said Karl, "or fail miserably, in which case the Enforcement Bureau will surely find and capture you, and then you'll be in a world of hurt."

"There is a third option," said Aiden, "I could fight and beat you all and make you give us The TARDIS. Remember, I have friends whom are in dire need of my help and the longer I'm away, the worse off they are."

"I'm not doubting your abilities, incredible that they are," said Karl, "and I'm sure that The Doctor can look after himself, he is a Time Lord after all. But what about these two?" he looked at Amy and Rory, "who's going to protect them when all hell breaks lose?"

"Say no more," said The Doctor, "I'll do it. I'll get your virus ready for action."

"Doctor!" said a shocked Amy, "you can't be serious!"

"I am serious," said The Doctor.

"So am I!" said Aiden, "I can take these guys with one eye closed! Just wait and see."

"I'll still help them," said The Doctor.

"Why, you idiot!" snapped Amy, "for god's sake why?"

"Because they're cause is righteous," said The Doctor, "and I've saved you and Rory from enough dangerous situations already. I've had far too may of my friends in trouble, and lost a few of them. This is one time when I can do the right thing and still keep those I care about safe."

"What about me?" Aiden asked, "I want to fight, either these guys or the bad guys."

"The best chance to get you back to where you belong is by helping these people," said The Doctor.

"Then you'll help us?" Karl asked in a hopeful tone.

"Yes," said The Doctor. He then looked at Karl with a deadly serious expression, "but know that if anything happens to Amy and Rory, you'll answer to me, and remember, I'm the one person in all of time and space that The Daleks are afraid of."

"We know," said Karl, "_'the oncoming storm,' _that's why we knew that you were the one whom could help us." With that he held out his hand, and The Doctor shook it.

"Why do I have the feeling that we've only made things worse?" Amy whispered to Rory.

"The phrase 'making a deal with the devil' does come to mind," said Rory.

"But who's the devil in this case?" Aiden asked, "Karl, or The Doctor?"

**The end of chapter 5.**

Next chapter finds our heroes joining with The Sailor Senshi as they protect Usagi from the two psycho villains. Who will survive? Meanwhile, Aiden joins with the rebel Hakonians in the past as they initiate their plan to bring the nobility down. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	6. Chapter 6: Usagi's Choice

Last time found Xorat and Kiraxi battling the witches and wizards of Hogwarts, as well as the resident Meta Human on loan from The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. Yet despite all these brave heroes, the psycho villains captured Victoire Weasley and brought her to New Hollow Bastion, throwing her in with the other captured princesses of heart, where Nessie's thirst was getting worse. Meanwhile, Aiden and his time traveling companions learned the truth behind the Hakonian Empire and were dragooned into helping the rebels bring down their oppressors. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 6: Usagi's Choice**

"Right, then!" said The Doctor in an all too cheerful tone, "let's get started! How soon do you want your virus delivered?"

"The sooner the better," said Jessika, "we want to time the activation of the virus to when the armadas begin their journey back to the heart of the empire, so that all the thousands of warships will risk getting lost in hyperspace."

"We'll need to get the military on our side as soon as possible," said Karl, "to further uphold our position against the gentry. Once they see the war fleets flying our flag, they'll lose heart faster than you can blink."

"Are you absolutely sure that this plan will work?" Amy asked.

"No," said Jessika, "but it's the best we've got. If you can think of a better plan and implement it in the time we have, I'm all ears."

"Say no more," said The Doctor, "I said I would finish your computer virus, so where is the little bugger?"

"We'll introduce you to the little monster immediately," said Karl, "as well as the program technician who designed it," he looked at Jessika, "where is the little mad genius anyway?"

"Right here," said a voice from the warehouse doorway. Aiden looked and saw a man, shorter than Aiden by several inches, with short, spiky black hair and indigo eyes behind coke bottle glasses. He was dressed in a black lab coat with blue boots.

"Ah, Yurik," said Karl. He then looked at The Doctor, "This is Yurik Mindstorm, one of the bare handful of the nobles on our side. Yurik, this is The Doctor, he's going to help you finish your grand design."

Yurik Mindstorm then walked over to The Doctor in a scurrying manner and looked the Time Lord over in an appraising manner, examining The Doctor from all angles and sides, "well, you certainly look smart enough, but just how smart, that remains to be seen."

"Believe me," said The Doctor, "I can handle anything you throw at me."

"Challenge accepted," said Yurik Mindstorm. He and The Doctor then started a verbal duel of techno babble that Aiden couldn't follow.

Instead he looked at Karl and Jessika, "you said that this guy is part of the gentry? How can you trust him?"

"We've wondered that a lot," said Jessika, "We tried to find members of the nobility whom were willing to do the right thing, but luck wasn't with us on that. Sure, there's some nobles who see the empire as evil and corrupt, and a handful have offered us safe shelter and supplies, but none of the ones we approached into helping us had the courage to physically help us."

"Yurik actually found us," said Karl, "not only does he see the empire as corrupt, but is willing to do what has to be done to remove from power the gentry. He's one of the current computer scientists whom work at The Supreme Computer Core, although he doesn't have access to the main terminal.

"Actually, he was denied access for 'erratic behavior.' Exactly what he did to disgrace himself, we don't know and he's not talking about it. What we do know is that he's fed up with the system that's denied him what he believes is his rightful due, so he's come to us in order to enact his revenge."

"You're using him while he's using you," said Rory.

"In a nutshell, yes," said Jessika.

"What happens to him after you've won?" Amy asked.

"Yurik said he can take care of himself," said Karl, "so we'll worry about afterwards once we've won."

Just then Yurik clapped his hand on The Doctor's shoulder in a friendly manner, "I've heard enough. You're alright in my book, Doctor, so let's get to work on my baby," he then walked over to a computer terminal and pulled out a data cube, "my virus is on this," he said as he inserted the cube into the data drive, "I've done as best I can with the time given, so let's see what you can do, Doctor."

"Another challenge is it?" The Doctor asked, "alright then, let's get to it." He sat at the computer terminal, while Yurik pulled up another chair and the two of them went to work on the computer virus.

"What I don't understand is how the nobility assumed powered in the first place," said Rory.

"A lot of us wondered that," said Karl, "how we were that foolish to let such power-hungry maniacs and idiots into the role of leadership. I guess the best excuse I can offer is that at the time the masses thought that it was a good idea to let the leaders, that at the time the people were so tired of mindlessly fighting among each other that when the leaders of the Hakoni nation offered to bring about peace for the whole world and create a new empire, the offer was too good to be true, yet too good to pass up."

"And now here we are," said Jessika, "having to resort to terrorism in order to save our people from the darkness."

"But what is the darkness?" Amy asked, "I've seen some terrible, horrible things since I first met The Doctor when he fell out of the sky and landed in the pond outside my home when I was just a little girl."

"And he turned our lives upside down," said Rory, "for better, and a little bit in the worse."

"How bad could it be?" Aiden asked.

"Well," said Rory, "for starters, I was killed, then erased from existence, then I was recreated as an Auton in the form of a Roman Centurian, just to be a pawn in a terrible plan to trap The Doctor and undo all of creation. And the worst part was I wound up killing Amy."

"No," said Aiden in a disbelieving tone, "you can't be dead! You're standing right in front of me!"

"I did die," said Amy, "but the same machine that was used to imprison The Doctor, it brought me back to life, but it took a while for it to do so, and even when I was all better, I had to wait about 2,000 years so I can help reboot the universe."

"And I also waited 2,000 years," said Rory, "when you've been reconstituted into living plastic, your life takes on a whole new outlook."

"So you waited 2,000 years to be reunited," said Aiden, "I'm not one for romance, but most of my friends are. But please explain to me how you rebooted the universe?"

"It's complicated," said Amy, "this evil force, The Silence, they were behind all these cracks in time and space that if you got too close to them, they'd completely erase you from history."

"That's what happened to me," said Rory, "but the cracks in existence were only the after effect of something much worse. The Doctor was trapped by representatives of all his enemies, and he had plenty of them."

"Daleks," said Jessika, "Cybermen, Sontarians, Judoon, The Nestene Consciousness, Ice Warriors, Silurians and so many more, they all spoke of The Doctor as being their greatest enemy."

"They all conspired to lure The Doctor back to Stonehenge during the height of the Roman Empire," said Rory, "and they used me as part of their trap. The forced The Doctor into a device, the Pandorica, which would keep him alive and imprisoned forever, while the programming in my mind forced me to kill Amy. And that's when The TARDIS exploded."

"The TARDIS exploded?" both Aiden, Karl and Jessika asked at the same time.

"Now you're being just plain stupid!" snapped Aiden, "I've been in The TARDIS. It didn't explode."

"But it did," said Amy, "and it killed River Song with it."

"Who's River Song?" Aiden asked.

"We're not really sure," said Rory, "as near as we can tell, she's The Doctor's ex-wife, more or less."

"Apparently she married The Doctor in her past but his future," said Amy, "and they've been running into each other throughout time, with him meeting her at different points in their lives."

"I'm so confused," said Aiden as he sat down, a look of mild despair on his face, "I just wish I could go back to when all I had to worry about was Heartless, villains and finding the new Princesses of Heart."

"Do you want to hear the rest of the story?" Amy asked, "or just wallow in self pity?"

"I want to know what happened," said Jessika, "how in the name of sanity did The TARDIS explode, yet my comrades have it in a secure location?"

"Well, when The TARDIS exploded," said Amy, "and it did blow up, it wound up erasing history, as if the Big Bang never happened. Earth was spared because it was right there when it happened, but all the stars, planets and all the life in the universe, they ceased to exist.

"But The Doctor, he figured how to use The Pandorica to go back to when The TARDIS blew and fixed it so that the universe was rebooted. He called it Big Bang 2. Everything was put to right."

"We both were put back on Earth," said Rory, "with me human again, and we finally got married."

"What held it up?" Jessika asked.

"I sort of ran away with The Doctor the night before the wedding," said Amy, "he promised to have me back in time, and in a way he did. And after the wedding, me and Rory went with The Doctor again, and after one rather unbelievably fantastic Christmas, we ran into you, Aiden Mackenzie."

At that Aiden closed his eyes, leaned back and held his head in his hand, "this is all too much for me. I'm just an alchemist who's in way over his head," he then looked at Amy and Rory, "and I can promise you this; the second, and I mean the very second that this whole mess with Heartless, Nobodies, demons, villains, princesses of heart, Hakonians, the whole freaking mess is over, I'm going home.

"I was given a mission by forces beyond my understanding, and I've fulfilled that mission to the best of my ability. And now it's almost over. I just need to get home and help my friends one last time, then I can finally go home."

"Why didn't you visit your home before?" Karl asked.

"It's complicated," said Aiden, "ever hear of The Law of Equivalent Exchange? 'to obtain, something of equal value must be lost.' I was given great power, but an even greater responsibility. I can only go home when I've completed my mission; find the seven Princesses of Heart. Well, if the enemy hasn't used the info in my head to find them by now, they soon will, and I'll be my mission to stop the enemy and save everyone."

"This is way more than one person should be able to handle," said Jessika, "even we Hakonians, whom have suffered the torments of evil for so long, now the value of teamwork."

"I know that I'm not alone in this," said Aiden, "but there's still so much that I don't know," he looked at The Doctor, whom was working reverently with Yurik Mindstorm on the computer virus, "I'm supposed to ask him a question that'll answer a lot, but I still don't know what that question is."

"Why didn't they tell you what the question is supposed to be?" Rory asked.

"Why did they give me all this alchemic knowledge?" Aiden asked, "why'd they choose me in the first place? Only they know, but I'm not going to complain when there's no time to complain, so the sooner we set things right here, the sooner I can do everything I have to do."

"Let's hope that you can get on with your life," said Karl, "and us Hakonians as well."

"It all depends on when the virus is finished," said Jessika. She looked at the two working at the computer, "how's it going, gentlemen?"

"It will be finished when it's finished!" snapped Yurik. He advanced on Jessica, stopping less than a foot from her face, "I've been working on this project for weeks. I've told you when we agreed to do this that it would take time to program a virus powerful enough to defeat the security protocols in the Supreme Computer Core.

"I told you that patience was all I asked from you, yet you and your fellow rebel peasants kept pushing and pushing, forcing me to work faster when I couldn't, not without botching the job, and I refuse to create such a weapon when I cannot make it perfect, and it will be perfect! If you'll let me!"

"You've told us this before," said Jessika.

"And I also told you that I was the only one who could do it," said Yurik as he smiled vindictively, "that none of your rebels had the knowledge and experience in creating such a computer virus. I'll ask you again, Jessika, can you create a computer virus that could destroy the empire?"

"I told you then and I'll tell you now that I can't," said Jessika, "I'm just a T-Mat technician; I operate and repair the machines that help keep the empire running," she looked at Aiden, "I built the T-Mat unit that beamed you and the others away from the Enforcement Bureau, and it will beam the strike team inside the Computer Core," she glared at Yurik, "assuming the computer virus that so much hangs upon is ever finished."

"I told you that it will be finished when it's finished!" snapped Yurik.

"It's finished!" said The Doctor as he stood up from the computer terminal.

"It's finished?" Aiden, Amy, Rory, Karl, Jessika and Yurik exclaimed at once.

"See for yourself," said The Doctor. Yurik hurried over to the computer screen and looked at the data.

"Well?" Karl asked.

"I don't believe it," said an astonished Yurik, "I…it's finished. But…how?"

"You overlooked several key factors," said The Doctor as he pointed at the computer screen, "here, here and here."

"Mother of darkness," said Yurik as he looked at that data, "you're right."

"But there are a few things I want to ask about," said The Doctor as he pointed to a few lines of code, "this bit here, and that there, what are they for?"

"Never mind that!" said an eager Karl, "the virus is finished, that's all that matters is that we can finally end this nightmare that our people have been living under for far too long!" he looked at one of the Hakonians in the warehouse, "assemble the strike team! We move in five minutes!" at that the Hakonian saluted.

"You're going now?" Aiden asked, while Yurik uploaded the virus into a fresh data cube.

"Why wait?" Karl asked, "the sooner we take control of the Computer Core, the sooner the nobles will be out of power, and all the better for the people."

Just then one of the rebels handed Karl a printout sheet, "if this isn't a sign that now is the time, I don't know what is. The military just ordered the war fleets back to the heart of the empire. Apparently The Daleks have made a complete withdraw from the war zone back to their territory, and the military leaders, the idiots that they are, decided that it's not a trap and have ordered the armadas back home."

"How can they assume it's not a trick?" Amy asked, "these areThe Daleks we're talking about."

"True," said Karl, "but if The Daleks were going to pull a fast one, it wouldn't be a simple feint. Regardless, the war fleets have entered hyperspace and are dependent on The Supreme Computer Core to bring them home. Well, we'll bring them home, under our orders that is."

"It's almost over," said Jessika in a tone that was both joyful and mildly disbelieving, as if daring to hope against hopelessness, "after so long, we're almost free."

"Just so long as you remember my end of the bargain," said Yruik as the virus finished transferring to the data cube. He then handed the cube to Karl, "this is the only chance you'll get. It'll take approximately ten minutes to upload the virus into the central computer. The operation can be aborted, but if you do, then the Computer Core will adapt to the virus and it'll be complete useless, so remember what you promised me in exchange for all my hard work."

"Amnesty in the new government," said Karl, "all the nobles will be stripped of their authority and given the choice of either banishment or spending their lives as powerless figureheads, while you'll be allowed to go wherever you wish, all with your financial and material assets safe and secure."

"Then do it," said Yurik, "bring down the corruption and rotten mess that is the Hakonian Empire."

"I'll see you when the new day dawns," said Karl. He then looked at Aiden, "if you really want to help us, now's the time."

"What do I have to do?" Aiden asked.

"Just come with us when we teleport into the Computer Core and help fend off the security forces that's bound to try and kill us," said Karl, "Yurik said it'll take ten minutes to upload the virus, and a lot can happen in ten minutes."

"I know what can happen in ten minutes," said Aiden, "I'll go with you, but remember; you promised to give back The TARDIS. The Doctor did what he said he would do, so you'd better do what you said you would do."

"I'm a man of my word," said Karl, "once we have full control of the Subspace network and T-Mat, you'll be free to go."

"Then let's do this!" said Aiden eagerly as he rubbed his wrists.

"Why do you do that?" Rory asked, "that thing with your wrists."

"It's just a cool thing I do," said Aiden.

"Cool like bowties?" The Doctor asked, "and fezzes?"

"Don't even start on fezzes," said Amy, "fezzes are not cool at all!"

"They are," said The Doctor, "and I'd still have one if you hadn't thrown it away."

"But it was River who blew it up," said Rory.

"Your wife blew up your hat?" Aiden asked.

"She's not my wife!" said The Doctor, "well, she was, or will be, it's all Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey."

"Don't you bring that up," said Aiden, "I got enough of that from Kairi."

"Can we get on with this already?" Karl asked as he and several Hakonians, about a dozen, donned body armor and armed themselves with high-powered blasters.

"Right," said Aiden. He looked at The Doctor, Amy and Rory, "wish me luck."

"Good luck," said The Doctor, Amy and Rory.

Aiden then walked over to Karl and the strike team, "ready when you are."

"We are," said Karl.

Jessika walked over to the T-Mat terminal and programmed it, "the room with the main terminal is heavily shielded against T-Mat transport. The closest I can get you to it is a utility corridor 500 meters from the room, and there's no way to disable the alarms. They'll know that you're there."

"Wait," said Aiden, "you've got a virus that can cripple an empire, but you can't figure out how to stop them from knowing that we're there? Are you guys crazy or something?"

"Crazy enough to try," siad Karl. "Jessika, do it."

"Transmitting now!" said Jessika as she activated the T-Mat machine.

Aiden was again blinded by a bright flash of light. The next thing he knew, he and the strike team were inside a dimly lit corridor where the walls and ceiling were covered with pipes and utility cables.

Almost instantly a loud klaxon sounded, "they know we're here!" said Karl, "500 meters to the main terminal room! Let's move people!"

"Do you happen to know which direction we need to go?" Aiden asked as he realized that they were at the edge of a four way corridor, "left, right, straight or back?"

Karl pulled out a 3D display device that showed a digital map of the whole Supreme Computer Core. The entire complex was a spherical construct ten kilometers across, with only a tenth of it above ground and the rest below. The 3D map zoomed in, passing multiple levels of corridors and passages, focusing on the corridor the strike team was on, followed by a green line that pointed through many twists and turns in the corridors to a single room right in the middle of the complex.

"This way!" said Karl as he pointed to the left.

"Where exactly is the main computer?" Aiden asked as the strike team ran through the corridor, "and what's with all the pipes?"

"The whole building is the computer," said Karl, "this entire complex manages the systems that keep the empire going, not just the Subspace network and T-Mat and the military systems, but also all the media outlets and brainwashing programs. The pipes are coolant lines carrying liquid nitrogen that keeps the machinery of the Computer Core from overheating. A massibe complex such as this generates a lot of waste heat that needs to be regulated, otherwise the whole place will overheat and explode, and that's the last thing we want."

"Then it'd be a good idea to leave them alone," said Aiden.

Just then four Hakonians wearing black security guard uniforms and armed with blasters ran up to the strike team and opened fire. One of the rebel Hakoonians was killed by the first shot, the bolt of deadly energy blowing his head off, while the other rebels and Aiden took cover behind outcroppings of pipes.

"This totally sucks!" shouted one of the rebel Hakonians as they returned fire, while Aiden shot a blast of Alchemic energy that transmuted the floor underneath one of the guards into spikes, impaling him.

"No one said it would be easy!" shouted Karl as he shot one of the guards, while another rebel shot the third guard, "if you're having second thoughts, just remember, you knew the job was dangerous when you took it!" He then shot the last of the guards and with that the area was clear, for the moment.

Karl then pulled out a smaller blaster and aimed it at the fallen rebel and fired. The beam of red energy disintegrated the body, leaving a Hakonian shaped scorch mark on the floor. Karl then vaporized the remains of the head.

"We can't waste time carrying our dead," said Karl as he pocketed the small blaster, "and we don't leave our dead for the enemy. Let them worry about their own dead."

"I won't argue with that," said Aiden. He then stared at the four dead guards, "wait, they're not crumbling into dust."

"What are you talking about?" Karl asked, "and tell me while we're running! We've still a ways to go!"

"What I mean," said Aiden as they ran through the corridors again, "is that the Hakonians my friends and I faced, they crumbled to dust when they died. We fought them and when they received enough damage, their bodies basically fell apart. But that didn't happen here and now."

"I think I may know what you're talking about," said one of the rebel Hakonians, "one of the 'perks' of the empire is that everyone, nobles and commoners alike, all receive longevity treatments that ensure perfect health an youth for exactly 1000 years. Only murder and accidents can kill a Hakonians.

"But as for crumbling into dust, that's a side effect of withdraw from the treatments. We learned that when our medical scientists were experimenting with the longevity drugs, they discovered that once you start taking the drugs, you have to keep taking them, at least once every 20 years. If you stop taking the drugs, you'll still live a lot longer than normal, like 300 years or so, but when death comes, either by natural causes or other, your body chemically changes, with all the liquid in the body rapidly evaporating and the solid parts turn to dust."

Karl then suspiciously looked at Aiden, "something doesn't add up right. You've seen the result of the drug withdraw, but in your time, eons into our future? Unless…?"

"Unless what?" Aiden asked cautiously.

"Unless the nobles in the future who were descendent from those we banished had the means of making the drug," said Karl, "but in limited quantities. They could live long, healthy lives, but die horribly, yes it makes sense."

"Yeah, perfect sense," said Aiden in a convincing tone. He then sighed, not from exertion, but from relief at dodging another bullet. And speaking dodging bullets, more guards appeared in the corridors ahead.

"I'm seriously getting sick of this!" shouted Aiden as he and the rebels took cover again against enemy fire, "I'm tired of being on the receiving end of getting attacked!"

"You're not alone!" said Karl as he and the rebels shot back at the guards. This time around only the guards died, but the rebels reasoned that time was running out for them.

But they quickly reached a large door at the end of the hallway, the door having a digital lock, "there's the room with the main computer terminal!" said Karl as one of the rebels pulled out a key card, "now let's hope that the money we spent was worth it!"

They reached the door and inserted the key card into the lock. The lock read the card as several lights on the lock blinked red, before finally becoming a solid green. The door opened with a loud buzz.

The rebels ran into the room and closed the door behind them. Aiden looked and saw that the room was 10 meters cubed and all white, with a single brown desk, a chair and a computer screen and mouse.

"That's it?" Aiden asked.

"That's it," said Karl as he sat in the chair. The tabletop was the keyboard for the terminal, as well as the data cube drive. Karl entered a command code into the computer, followed by a complex password that within seconds granted him access to the main computer files.

"This is it," said Karl as he inserted the data cube into the drive and began uploading the virus, "ten minutes."

"So we made it this far," said Aiden, "how do we get out?"

"The same way we came in," said Karl, "but we'll worry about that when we succeed. What we do need to worry about is making sure that no guards get through that door until the virus is uploaded. Jessika and the others will know when the virus has been successfully uploaded, so she can carry on with the plan, even if we don't make it back to base."

"Gee, that really makes me feel better," said Aiden in an annoyed tone.

Just then the door shook as someone on the other side tried to break it down.

"That key card we used scrambled the lock," said Karl, "the only way to open the door is to open it from this side, unless they break it down."

The door then shook harder from the force of several people slamming into it.

"How much longer until the virus is finished doing its thing?" Aiden asked.

"Nine minutes," said Karl.

"It's only been one minute?" an exasperated Aiden asked. He then sighed, "this is going to be the longest nine minutes of my life."

As a matter of fact the time passed rather quickly. The guards tried several times to break the door down either by brute force or by trying to dismantle the door, none of which succeeded.

"When they designed the door for this place," said an impressed Karl, "they really knew what they were doing."

Finally the virus finished uploading, "that's it!" said Karl as he took the data cube out of the drive.

"Great," said Aiden, "now let's get out of here."

"I couldn't agree more," said one of the rebels as he went to the door and unlocked it.

"Stop!" shouted Karl, "don't open that door!"

But the rebel opened the door and was vaporized by a massive barrage of laser fire. Aiden looked out the open doorway and saw several guards with a huge laser cannon aimed right at the other rebels.

Reacting on instinct, Aiden slammed the door close, just as a laser blast hit the door and nearly shot it off its hinges. "I think we're in a lot of trouble," said Aiden as he leaned back against the door to keep it shut. The door shook again from another laser blast, causing three of the Hakonians to help Aiden brace it.

"So what do we do now?" Aiden asked, "sit here and wait for them to break in and murder us?"

"If we're going to die," said an irate Karl as he held up his blaster, "let's die fighting! Wait until between laser blasts, then hit them hard and fast!"

"Yeah!" shouted the remaining Hakonians on the strike team.

"This can't be how it ends," said Aiden as the door shook from another laser blast, "I can't die here! I can't die now! I have to get home and help Sora, Kairi and the others!"

Just then Aiden, Karl and the others were blinded by the white flash of a T-Mat transport, and they were back inside the rebel warehouse.

"Transport complete!" said Jessika as she smiled brightly.

"You blokes pulled it off!" said Amy.

"How did you get us out of there?" Karl asked, "the shielding of the Computer Core…"

"We seized complete control over the Computer Core as soon as the virus went to work," said Jessika, "so we turned off the shielding and transported you out."

"Now why didn't I think of that?" Karl asked.

"It probably never occurred to your inferior mind," said Yurik.

"I won't be disappointed to end our partnership," said an annoyed Karl. But then he smiled eagerly and spoke to his fellow rebels, "but that doesn't matter! We've almost won, brothers and sisters! The time of our return to the light is finally at hand!"

"Prepare the broadcast!" said Jessika. Several Hakonians brought in an advanced television camera and hooked it up to a wireless transmitter, while another Hakonian brought up a blue screen backdrop.

"We can be ready to go on the air in minutes," said Jessika as she and another Hakonian technician worked at another computer station, "we'll knock off all the media networks and brainwashing signals and broadcast our wakeup call to the empire."

"I'm so ready!" said an eager Karl, "I've been waiting for this moment for my entire life."

"Well you're going to have to wait a few more minutes while prepare to send out our signal," said Jessika, "and you're not ready yet. Makeup!"

"What?" Karl asked as a pair of female rebels went to work on his face, "I don't need makeup."

"Well you should," said Jessika, "you're going to be seen on pretty much every screen in dozens of galaxies, so you should look your best."

"She has a point," said Amy.

"I can't believe this," said Aiden, "I…I think we've changed the future."

"I wouldn't be so sure," said The Doctor in a hushed tone, "one thing you learn about traveling through time is that some events in history are Time Locked, in which the outcome cannot be changed no matter what."

"What are you talking about," said Aiden, "we did change the future. The Hakonian empire was supposed to collapse and only a handful would survive, leading to the ones that my friends and I fought. But since we helped the rebels take control of the Computer Core, they're going to win and change the empire for the better."

"Then why do I have the sneaky suspicion that not all is as it should be?" The Doctor asked, "remember, look and listen. What do you see and hear that doesn't seem right?"

Aiden looked around the warehouse and at all the rebel Hakonians going about their business, preparing for their moment of triumph. He focused on Karl and Jessika, with him being fussed about by the makeup specialists, and her focusing on getting the broadcast ready. The two of them then looked at each other with silent promises to enjoy each other when there was time.

But then Aiden saw Yurik nervously pacing back and forth in nervous anticipation. The rebel noble was wringing his hands and muttering to himself as if holding a one-sided conversation. Aiden heard a few pieces of Yurik's muttering.

"I've done everything to told me to do. I helped the rebel filth…yes, I tweaked the virus per your specifications…yes, I did that too, and I will do what I promised I would do, which happens to be what I've wanted for a long time. Now you have to promise to keep your end of the bargain."

"Something is wrong, Doctor," said Aiden, "with that guy," he pointed at Yurik, "He's going to pull a fast one."

But then Jessika shouted happily, "it's done! We're ready to broadcast!"

"I'm ready here," said Karl as the two makeup artists backed away. Karl stood in front of the backdrop, "I've got my speech all memorized."

"Then we're going live," said Jessika as one of the Hakonians manned the camera, "in five…four…three…two…one…now!"

"Attention sheep and wolves of the empire!" said Karl, "I am Karl Nightcaller, a lowborn Hakonian like so many of us. Like so many of the empire I've borne the brunt of the deplorable, despicable and downright disgusting decadences of the gentry. For too long countless Hakonians have been denied the basic freedoms that all life forms are entitled, all because we're born in the wrong families.

"Why should a bare handful have absolute power over such a vast majority? Why should we allow those whom think they better than us to continue to believe that they are better than us? Why should we allow the highborn to send the common men and women to die in wars that they started?

"The truth is, my friends, we allowed the nobles to rule the commoners because we, at the time, thought it was a good idea to let a few people who thought they knew what they were doing to have free rein over the rest of us, and for a time it worked. The home world was united under one flag and our aggressive nature was turned out to the universe, creating the empire, and for a time, all was good.

"But then we allowed the nobles to gain more and more power over us lowborn people, eventually leading them to assume absolute power. They've been brainwashing us into obedience for thousands of years, just so that they can keep their authority, money, property and toys. And when anyone stands up to them, demanding what is right and just, they're clapped in irons and sent to the diabolical clutches of the likes of The Enforcement Bureau, if they're not murdered outright.

"Well I for one have had enough, and so have so may others. We've had it with the nobles and their appalling ways. From now on, all Hakonians will be free to think for themselves!" he signaled to Jessika.

"Deactivating brainwashing programs now!" she said as she pressed the command button on her computer screen.

"The time of awaking is at hand, brothers and sisters! Time to wake up and see reality as it is, that we have been oppressed long enough!

"I am now addressing the nobles. You high and mighty sons of bitches think that you have the right to do whatever the hell you want and not have to deal with the consequences. Well, you're about to get a rude awakening. From now on your so called authority means nothing! And we're about to prove it!"

Just then came the sound of scores hover cars pulling up around the warehouse, followed by the sound of hundreds of boots running into position around the warehouse.

"It's the Enforcement Bureau," said one of the rebel Hakonians, "that scarfaced bastard, Dunkan Shadowstalker, he's got nearly his entire gang out there."

"We're surrounded?" Rory asked as the rebels armed themselves.

As if in answer, Dunkan's voice came over a megaphone, "this is Dunkan Shadowhunter! Commandant of the Enforcement Bureau! You rebel scum are surrounded with no hope of escape! You have been tried and convicted in absent, of treason against The Hakonian Empire! Surrender now and your deaths will be quick and relatively painless! Persist in this foolishness and you'll all beg to die!"

"They don't know about our T-Mat system," said Jessika, "we can escape when we're ready," she looked at Karl, "keep going! We'll hold them off until you finish."

"The truth is, you blue blooded bastards," said Karl to the camera, "is that we now have the power. We have taken control of the Supreme Computer Core! My comrades and I have the power to deactivate not only the Subspace Network, but T-Mat and all the navigations on all the warships in the military. With a push of a button we can deactivate all that keeps the empire running, everything that keeps your extravagant and decadent lifestyles going."

"You have no hope of survival!" shouted Dunkan, "no hope of escape! Surrender while I'm in a merciful mood!"

"The time of change has come, my so called lords and ladies," said Karl, "to prove my point, I'm going to deactivate all T-Mat throughout the empire for ten seconds. We'll see who has the power when all transportation and commerce grinds to a halt!" he looked at Jessika, "do it!"

"Deactivating T-Mat, now!" said Jessika as she pressed a button. But then she frowned in confusion and frustration, "something's wrong. There should be a confirmation signal that T-Mat is down. I'm not getting a confirmation signal! There's no freaking confirmation signal!"

"I've got a horrible feeling that we're in trouble," said Amy.

"Is it really that obvious?" Rory asked.

Just then one of the rebels ran up to Karl, "the signal isn't being broadcasted!"

"What!" snapped Karl in an outraged and disbelieving tone, "why not!"

"I don't know!" said the rebel, "our signal is going out, but none of the media networks are picking it up! All the normal programs and the brainwashing parts are still going as normal. Are people are still asleep!" He showed a display screen that showed the usual Hakonian programs being aired.

"What's going on!" Karl demanded, "everything was going according to plan!"

"I'm beginning to lose my patience, rebel scum!" snapped Dunkan, "I'll give you five minutes to come our, before we come in!"

"And how did those maniacs find us?" Karl asked.

Yurik then walked forward, "I lead them here," he said triumphantly, "I had a transmitter in my pocket the whole time."

"What?" Karl asked in a disbelieving tone.

"That's right," said Yurik, "I lead the Enforcement Bureau right to you all."

"Traitorous bastard!" snapped Jessika, "and what of the virus! Was that just subterfuge just to get us to trust you? Was it all a sham?"

"Oh the virus was real," said Yurik, "real enough to suit my purposes."

"So there was something a bit off about it," said The Doctor, "I knew that it seemed a bit off with those extra bits and bytes and stuff."

"You were right to suspect those extra lines of code in the virus, Doctor," said Yurik, "I did make it bigger than it should be. But the extra coding was worth it!"

"What did you do!" exclaimed Karl as he aimed his blaster at Yurik.

"He programmed the virus to turn control of the Computer Core over to him," said The Doctor, "and him alone," he smiled eagerly, "oh, you're brilliant, you even fooled me."

"Glad to know I pulled the wool over your eyes, Doctor," said Yurik, "yes, I have control over the Computer Core, complete control. At long last, after being rejected by my fellow nobles, after years of being denied my due, I have the power! It's mine! All mine!"

* * *

><p><strong>…The Other Tokyo…<strong>

Upon arriving on the parallel world, Roxas, Naminé, Will, Kirjava, Jasper and Alice, after first seeing that they had landed right next to Tokyo Tower, immediately set out to find Usagi Tsukino and her friends, Ami Mizuno, Rei Hino, Makoto 'Mako' Kino and Minako 'Mina' Aino, otherwise known respectively as Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus.

"Exactly were are we going to find these magical girls?" Jasper asked as they walked down the sidewalk, "Tokyo is one of the largest cities on any world." Fortunately it was a cloudy day so Jasper and Alice didn't have to worry about their skin glowing in front of everyone.

"Try the Juban district," said Roxas, "that's where we met with Usagi the first time."

"Exactly how did you meet her in the first place?" Will asked.

"It's kinda a funny story," said Naminé, "Sora, Riku, Kairi and Aiden were stuck jumping from world to world due to a whammy that Maleficent put on them. They wound up here in this Tokyo and they just bumped into Usagi's friends."

"They bumped into them?" Alice asked.

"Yep," said Roxas, "they bumped into them. Then Usagi showed up, and Aiden saw that she was a Princess of Heart."

"That still doesn't help us find them," said Kirjava.

"And not knowing what they smell like isn't helping either," said Alice as she sniffed the air, "there's millions of people in this town, all their scents are blending together, it'll take a while to sort them all out."

"In the meantime we might as well just keep our eyes open," said Will as they approached an intersection. Instead of crossing to the other side of the street, Will decided to go around the corner.

"I'd be careful, if I were you," said Alice after a sudden vision.

"Why?" Will asked as he looked back while turning the corner, not seeing that he was second away from bumping into someone, someone who turned out to be two girls in their mid teens. The first had long black hair and indigo eyes and wearing a gray and white High School girls' uniform. The other girl had medium length brown hair, green eyes and wore a blue and white uniform with rose-shaped earrings.

All three of them, Will and the two girls, collided and fell to the pavement in a heap.

"I warned you," said Alice as she, Jasper, Roxas and Namine helped Will and the two girls up, "but no one listens to me."

"I'll keep it in mind," said Will.

"You do that," said the girl with the black hair, "and watch where you're going, why don't you?"

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" Kirjava asked, "I felt the impact too."

"Wait, did that cat just talk?" the brunet asked. She bent down and looked at Kirjava with amazed eyes, "are you from the Moon Kingdom?"

"She doesn't look like she's related to Luna or Artemis," said the black haired girl, "or maybe she's from the future."

"I certainly am not," said Kirjava.

"She's my daemon," said Will as he picked up Kirjava, "my soul, so no touching."

"Your soul?" the black haired girl asked, "but souls aren't animals."

"I am not an animal," said Kirjava.

"Oh behave, all of you," said Naminé.

"Is that any way to talk to friends of old friends?" Roxas asked.

Just then the black haired girl and the brunet saw the two Nobodies, "Roxas?" the brunet, Mako, asked.

"Naminé?" the dark haired girl, Rei, asked, "what are you guys doing here?"

"And if you're here," said Mako, "then, where's Sora, Kairi, Riku and Aiden?"

"It's a long story," said Roxas, "but first, this is Will Parry, and Jasper and Alice Cullen."

"Nice to meet you," said Will.

"Likewise," said Mako.

"Wish you were nicer," said Rei. She then looked at Jasper and Alice, "wait, I've seen you two before."

"You have?" Jasper asked.

"In my vision that I had a while back," said Rei,

"You have visions?" Alice asked, "I have them too. I see the outcome of decisions."

"Well I see mine in fire," said Rei.

"She's a shine maiden," said Naminé, "a fire priestess who can see the future."

"Well I saw you two vampires coming," said Rei.

"You know we're vampires?" Jasper asked.

"They're vampires?" a nervous Mako asked.

"They're good vampires who are here to help," said Rei, "that much of my vision made sense, at least it does now. What I saw was so confusing, but maybe it was because I was still recovering from the end of the battle with Galaxia."

"Who?" Namine asked.

"Our latest enemy," said Mako, "Galaxia, a Sailor Senshi from another planet who was possessed by living chaos who wanted to rule the galaxy by collecting all the Star Seeds in existence."

"I thought you guys were fighting The Death Busters," said Naminé, "who were after Pure Heart Crystals that contained these talismans, so they could bring about The Silence."

"That was two years ago," said Mako, "to make it short, we beat The Death Busters, and the real villains behind them; Mistress 9 and Pharaoh 90. Then we had to fight The Dead Moon Circus and their leaders, Zirconia and Nehellania, who wanted to find The Golden Crystal, which was hidden in dreams, so they could free Nehellania so she could take over the world."

"Wait, we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves," said Roxas, "we need to find Usagi, right now."

"Why?" Mako asked, "what's wrong?"

"Oh no," said Rei in a shocked tone, "my vision, it's finally starting to make sense. Usagi-chan is in grave danger."

"What kind of danger?" Mako asked Roxas, Namine and the others.

"It's a long story," said Will.

"We'll explain along the way," said Roxas, "now where can we find Usagi?"

"Last I heard she was with Mina-chan, Naru and Haruka at Crown Arcade," said Mako, "there's a new 4-player Sailor V game that Mina kept boasting that she would get an all time high score."

"Hang on," said Rei as she pulled out a compact and opened it, revealing the cosmetic piece to be a highly sophisticated communications device, "we'll call Usagi and Mina," she then looked into the mirror and pressed a button, "Usagi-chan? Mina-chan? Are you there? Usagi-chan? Usagi-chan!" by now she was getting annoyed at being ignored by her friend, "she's not answering!"

"Is there something wrong with the compact?" Mako asked as she pulled out her own communications device and made a call, "Ami-chan? Are you there?"

The mirror then showed a girl with short blue hair and blue eyes, Ami Muzuno, "I'm here, Mako-chan," said Ami, "what's the emergency?"

"Well, aside from Roxas and Naminé coming back without Sora, Kairi or the others," said Mako, "there's some new people with them, who say that Usagi-chan is in danger, and she's not answering her messages."

"There's nothing wrong with the device on this end," said Ami, "I'll try calling her, hang on…" the mirror returned to that, being a mirror.

"Let me try this," said Rei as she pulled mobile and dialed a number, "Mina-chan got hers just last week. Wait, it's ringing…still ringing…voice mail. Mina-chan, it's Rei, call back, it's serious, really serious." With that she hung up.

"Something must be wrong," said Mako, "Mina-chan has barely put her mobile down since she got it. The bill must be astronomical by now."

Just then Ami was back on the mirror phone, "neither Mina-chan or Usagi-chan are answering their devices."

"And Mina-chan isn't answering her mobile," said Rei, "either they're in serious trouble, or…"

"Or they're so engrossed in the new game," said Mako, "that they're dead to the world. Ami-chan, meet us as the arcade, we have to talk to Usagi-chan."

"I can meet you there in fifteen minutes," said Ami, "see you then." with that the mirror returned to being a mirror again.

"Let's go," said Rei, "and hope that Usagi-chan is alright."

"How much in trouble can she be in?" Will asked.

"Last time we were here," said Roxas, "she was scared to death of Heartless."

"she's not that much of a dingbat," said Namine, "a bit of a meatball head, but she's alright."

"You'd be surprised by how much Usagi-chan has matured," said Mako, "she still has her doughnut-head moments, but she's done a lot of growing up since you were last here."

"For one," said Rei, "she passed the high school entrance exams against all odds of success, and that's something."

"Really," said Namine, "from what we heard and saw from our last visit here, she had some really pour study habits."

"Still does," said Rei, "but she tries. Now, will you please tell us what the hell is going on here? Why is our best friend in such terrible danger?"

And so Roxas and Naminé, with help from Will, Kirjava, Alice and Jasper, told Rei and Mako about Gideon and his vile plans involving all seven of the new Princesses of Heart, the part about Kairi and Aiden being abducted, the capture of Nessie and Lyra and ending with Sora, Riku and Tess losing their Keyblades. To say that Mako and Rei were shocked to hear that last bit of info would be an understatement.

"Can they get their Keyblades back?" Rei asked.

"If anyone can help them," said Alice, "it's Edward."

"The mind reader," said Rei, "more and more of my vision is becoming clear. Tell me more about this evil copy of Kairi and this really evil Nobody."

"You know about Xorat and the Kairi biot?" Roxas asked.

"Who's Xorat?" Mako asked, "and if he's this evil, I really hope he doesn't look like my old sempai."

"Speaking of which," said Rei in a suspicious tone, "any reaction to our new friends?"

"Huh?" Mako asked, "oh, right," she then looked at Will, then at Jasper, "uh-huh, nope, they don't look at all like my old sempai."

"Good to know," said Rei.

A while later they reached the Crown Arcade and went in. Right in the middle of the arcade floor was a brand new, four player beat'em'up game, marked 'Sailor V: Quadratic Adventure.'

At it were four girls furiously mashing buttons and twisting the joysticks, while the four onscreen characters were cutting fighting their way through a horde of generic enemies.

The first girl had long blond hair tied up with a red bow, with blue eyes and wearing a blue and white uniform. The second girl also wore a blue and white high school uniform, but had short, wavy brown hair and brown eyes. The third girl was a few years older, with short blond hair, blue eyes and wearing a boy's high school uniform with a checkered jacket and green trousers.

All three of them were focused on the game with an intensity that would rival avid gamers, but the fourth girl, who had long blond hair tied up in pigtails with two doughnut shaped buns on her head, was the most the most intense of them all, completely engrossed in the game that not even an earthquake would break her concentration.

"Now we know why Usagi-chan and Mina-chan weren't answering their messages," said Mako.

"Which one is Usagi?" Will asked.

"The one with doughnuts for hair," said Rei, "and in her head."

"Mina-chan is the one with the bow," said Mako, "then there's Naru Osaka, Usagi-chan's best friend, and that girl who looks like a boy, she's Haruka Tenoh, a friend and another of the Sailor Senshi, but I didn't say that, not in public that is."

"Wait a second," said Roxas, "isn't she…" he looked at the tomboy girl, Haruka Tenoh, "she is! She's Sailor Uranus!"

"Not so loud!" hissed Rei, but with all the noise of the arcade, no one else heard Roaxs' outburst.

"If Haruka Tenoh is Sailor Uranus," said Naminé, "then who's Sailor Neptune?"

"Another friend," said Mako.

"Never mind that," said an irate Roxas, "why are you all friends with the ones who tried to kill Sora and Kairi?"

"Yeah, that's right," said a now irate Naminé, "Sailor Uranus and Neptune were so hell bent on taking the heart crystals of Sora and Kairi. They were willing to let our friends die for their own selfish reasons!"

"Well, we got over that," said Mako, "we're all friends now,

"But you hated them," said Roxas, "you hated the fact that they were willing to sacrifice innocent people for what they saw was the greater good."

"They're not like that any more," said Mako, "Haruka and Michru, they've seen the light of reason, thanks to Usagi-chan."

"She has that effect on some people," said Rei.

"Well, I'm not so willing to trust them so easily," said Roxas as he irately crossed his arms.

"I'm going to wait until I've gotten to know them before I make any decisions," said Jasper.

"If feel obliged to do the same," said Alice.

"Same with us," said Will, while Kirjava nodded in agreement.

Just then the game characters then all ran out of life energy and a timer began to count down, signaling that unless the players put more money into the machine, the game would end.

"I used my last coins this round!" said Mina, "anyone have more?"

"I'm all out too," said the girl Naru Osaka.

"All I have left is paper money," said Haruka, "the timer will be out before I can get back from the coin machine."

"No!" said Usagi in a frantic tone, "we're so close to an all time high score!"

But then the timer ran out and the game displayed a red 'GAME OVER.'

"Oh, dang it," said a very disappointed Usagi, "we almost had a record."

"How can you get a record if the game is new?" Mako asked.

"It's because it's new that we want to set a record, Mako-chan," said Mina, "and the team that sets that record will get four copies of the next Sailor V game for a home consol."

"Oh, well if it's Sailor V, then it's deadly serious for you, Mina-chan," said Rei.

"And you get your name in the history books," said Naru, "and you're featured in a magazine and you're given a special commemorative plaque."

"An _official _commemorative plaque," said Haruka.

"I'd never thought a bloodthirsty maniac like you would care about videogames," said Roxas in an annoyed tone.

Just then Haruka, Mina and Usagi saw the two Nobodies, "Roxas?" Mina asked, "Naminé?"

"What are you doing here?" Haruka asked.

"Usagi-chan," said Naru, "who are these people?"

"They're old friends we haven't seen in a while," said Mako.

"And these guys," said Rei as she indicated Will, Kirjava, Alice and Jasper, "they're friends of Sora and Kairi."

"How do you do," said Jasper as he shook hands with Usagi, Mina, Karuka and Naru, "Jasper Cullen, at your service."

"Will Parry."

"Just call me Alice."

"Nice to meet you," said Mina, "but where are Sora and Kairi?"

"Is it another enemy?" Usagi asked, "The Heartless again?"

"If only it was The Heartless," said Roxas. He then looked at Naru, "uh, is it alright to…"

"Naru knows everything," said Mako, "after what happened with Galaxia, Usagi told her everything."

"Naru-chan is my best friend," said Usagi, "after fighting to keep the world safe for two years, I just got sick of lying to her."

"I didn't believe it at first when Usagi-chan told me she was Sailor Moon," said Naru, "but then she showed me she was Sailor Moon," she smiled brightly, "to think that my best friend is a super hero! It's just awesome."

"If it's so awesome," said Rei, "why haven't you told Umino yet?"

"Who?" Naminé asked.

"My boyfriend," said Naru, "and it's…complicated, but what are Heartless?"

"Creatures of living darkness," said Haruka, "made from hearts that were consumed by hate, rage and other dark emotions."

"They're really horrible things," said Usagi, "almost as bad as some of the monsters we've fought, but that Kurayami was the worst of the worst."

"I wish it was as simple as Kurayami," said Naminé, "we have bad news, really bad news."

"Then where are Sora and the others?" Mina asked, "and that gorgeous alchemist, Aiden?"

"Now there was one who reminded me of my old Sempai," said Mako.

"Hey, he kissed me, you know," said an annoyed Mina.

"But I saw him first," said Mako.

"You can argue about Aiden later," said Will, "we've got something serious to talk about."

"We should wait for Ami and Michru," said Rei, "they'll want to hear the story too."

"Or we could all met at the Café," said Usagi as her stomach growled, "going after an all time high score really takes it out of you."

At that Rei, Mina and Mako all sighed in annoyance, but smiled nonetheless.

A while later everyone was at Crown Café, where they met up with Ami, as well as Michru, otherwise known as Sailor Neptune. Michru wore the girls version of the high school uniform that Hakura wore. She had long blue hair and sea green eyes.

As with Hakura, Roxas and Naminé found it hard to trust Michru since she too was so willing to sacrifice Sora and Kairi. But Usagi convinced them that Michru was on their side.

Finally, after Roxas and Naminé were comfortable with both Haruka and Michru, the two Nobodies, Will, Kirjava, Jasper and Alice began telling their story.

The first thing that was discussed was getting Ami, Mina, Naru, Haruka, Michru and Usagi used to the fact that Kirjava could talk.

"That's so cool," said a grinning Usagi, "are you related to Luan and Artemis?"

"She's my soul," said Will.

"And darn proud of it," said Kirjava.

"Where are Luna and Artemis, anyway?" Rei asked, "they should be here as well."

"And where are Setsuna and Hotaru?" Mako asked. She then looked at Roxas, Namine and the others, "Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn."

"A Sailor Senshi for every world in the solar system," said Naminé.

"Is there a Sailor Earth?" Roxas asked.

"That would be Tuxedo Kamen," said Rei, "since Mamoru is the reincarnation of Prince Endymion, he represents Earth. And were is Mamrou?"

"Mamo-chan is running errands," said Usagi, "he'll be back later today. As for Luna and Artemis, they're on vacation and should be back next week."

"We'll fill them in later," said Ami, "for now we need to know what is going on."

The next thing that was discussed was the fact that Alice and Jasper were vampires. Mina, Ami, Michru, Haruka and Naru were at first shocked that not only vampires were real, but two of them were right in front of them.

But Usagi was willing to trust them, "if they're friends of Kairi, then they're friends of mine."

With that her friends began to trust the two vampires.

"Okay, now we can get down to brass tax," said Will. With that he, Roxas, Naminé, Alice and Jasper, told Usagi and her friends all about Gideon and his plan for Usagi and the other princesses of heart, about Kairi and Aiden being taken, about Xorat, Kiraxi, and finishing with Sora, Riku and Tess losing their Keyblades.

To say that Usagi and her friends were shocked by this would be an understatement. Rei and Mako already had a general idea of how serious the situation was, but upon hearing the full story, they were left speechless.

"And now they're coming for Usagi-chan," said Mina.

"But why do they need Usagi-chan?" Ami asked, "what she ever do to this horrible Gideon?"

"Nothing actually," said Naminé, "he just needs her and the other Princesses of Heart so he can do this horrible ritual and unleash an evil man on the realms."

"But you guys can stop them, right?" Naru asked, "you can keep Usagi safe, can you?"

"I honestly don't know," said Will, "we tried to keep Kairi and Aiden safe, and we also tried our best to keep Nessie and Lyra safe, but those two maniacs, I just don't know if we can stop them."

"Don't cut us short so soon," said Mako, "we can handle any maniac that comes at us."

"We survived The Dark Kingdom," said Mina as she counted on her fingers, "the Doom Tree, the Black Moon Family, The Death Busters, The Dead Moon Circus, and just now Galaxia."

"And we beat Kurayami," said Ami, "a Diamond/Heartless hybrid."

"These guys aren't a cross between monsters and Heartless," said Will, "although I would like to hear more about this hybrid you fought. How did it come to be?"

"As far as we could tell she was made by accident," said Ami.

"Can we keep on track here?" Rei asked, "what are we going to do about this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Mako asked, "we fight, of course."

"These maniacs want to toake our princess from us," said Harka, "of course we'll fight."

"And we'll keep fighting," said Michru, "until we can't fight anymore."

"I do hope you know what you're about to get yourselves into here," said Jasper, "not even six vampires and five shape shifters could stop those lunatics, I don't know how anyone else can."

"We'll fight nonetheless," said Michru, "it's our duty as Sailor Senshi to keep our princess safe, no matter the cost."

"Even if the cost is your lives?" Alice asked, "I'm trying to see what the future holds, based on your resolve to fight, but I won't know what happens until the enemy arrives. But…"

"But we'll still fight," said Ami, "even with an unknown future, even if the odds of our success, let alone our survival, are vastly out of our favor, we'll still fight."

"Darn right," said Mina, while Mako nodded in agreement.

"Excuse me, please," said Usagi as she started to get up, "I need to use the bathroom."

"Don't even think about it," said Alice as she gently grabbed Usagi's hand.

At that Usagi blinked in surprise and her face paled, "what…what do you mean? And your hand is really cold!"

"It's a vampire thing," said Alice in a nonchalant tone, "I mean about you faking going to the bathroom so you can sneak out and go somewhere to wait for the enemy to show up."

At that all of the Sailor Senshi shouted as one, with extremely irate expressions on their faces, "Are you crazy!"

"You can't go off to face Xorat and the Kairi biot by yourself!" said an outraged Roxas, "they'll kill you, then they'll take you to Gideon and Maleficent."

"They need me alive, right?" Usagi asked in a slightly unsure tone, "so I'll be alright, right?"

"But that'll be just what the enemy wants," said Roxas, "for all we know, you're the last one they need, and that'll be the end of it."

"We can't let that happen," said Naminé, "we can't let them get away with this anymore. We have to draw a lone somewhere, so why not here?"

"But I can't let you guys fight for me," said Usagi, "I won't let you put yourselves in danger," she sighed and sat down, "just when we all thought that the world was safe and there weren't any more enemies to fight, this happens."

"Well, if you don't want us to fight," said Mako in a reluctant tone, "there's always running away."

"Out of the question!" said Rei, "no way are we running away! Not me!"

"And the enemy will just chase after us," said Ami.

"Well what else is there to do?" Mina asked, "if we stay and fight, we'll get hurt and Usagi-chan will be upset, and if we run Rei will be upset. Damned if you do, damned if you don't."

"There's always alternatives," said Jasper, "a plan that can satisfy all parties involved, except for the enemy, of course."

"Any ideas?" Alice asked.

"As a matter of fact," said Jasper, "I already have one in mind," he looked first at Usagi, then at Mina, then back to Usagi, then to Mina again, "I believe we can pull a fast one on the enemy."

"How?" Will asked.

"The old switcheroo," said Rei as she also looked back and forth between Usagi and Mina, "of course! We have Usagi-chan and Mina-chan switch places."

"You mean you want Mina-chan to look like me?" Usagi asked, "so that the enemy will try to take her?"

"It's brilliant," said Michru.

"They do look a lot alike," said Haruka, "the enemy may just be fooled."

"Just switch hairstyles," said Mako.

"They really do look alike," said Will.

"But can the enemy be fooled?" Kirjava asked, "I would know the difference."

"It has worked before," said Ami, "it fooled Kaolinite, Haruku and Michru."

"I'll admit," said Haruku, "they pulled the wool over our eyes."

"Yeah, but these are completely different enemies," said Will, "I'm sure they have Usagi's description."

"But they don't know about me," said Mina as she grinned eagerly, "I think it can work."

"And while the enemy is fooled by the decoy," said Jasper, "we all move in and launch a coordinated attack that will leave the enemy disoriented. That's when we'll fall back and launch another attack, one that'll finish them for good."

"Can it work?" Haruka asked.

"No," said Usagi in an insisting tone, "I don't want to do this. I won't let you guys put yourselves in danger, not Mina-chan, not anyone, not for me."

"Well we have to put ourselves in danger," said Ami, "and definitely for you."

"Just think about it, Usagi-chan," said Rei, "think about the future. Not just tomorrow, but what's going to happen in a thousand years."

"You and Mamoru are supposed to get married," said Mina, "and then after the great cataclysm that's supposed to happen, when the world is reborn in a thousand years, you and Mamoru become Neo King Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity. And then Chibi Usa is born. What's going to happen to her if you give yourself up to the enemy?"

"Oh," said Usagi in a deflated tone, "I…I forgot about that. Chibi Usa, I…how could I forget about her? After all that's happened." She smiled sadly, I guess I'm a dumpling head after all."

"You're really not," said Mako, "you've changed so much since this whome Sailor Senshi mess began."

"You hardly start bawling when you're upset," said Rei, "and you're able to make good decisions."

"You've definitely matured a lot," said Ami, "and you passed the high school exams."

"With a little help from us, of course," said Rei smugly, "but you're definitely a better person than you were before."

"It's true," said Haruka, "you've changed for the better."

"A definite improvement," said Michru.

"Well," said Usagi, "if you really think this can work, then let's go for it!"

"Great," said Naminé, "now, we'll need you to switch hairstyles and we're good to go."

"And also a few more details," said Alice, "there are subtle differences between the two of them that will have to be changed. We don't want the enemy to know that we've pulled a switch until it's too late for them to do anything about it."

"And we'll need a place to set the ambush," said Jasper, "and I have just the place in mind."

* * *

><p><strong>…New Hollow Bastion…<strong>

"The last Princess is up," said Gideon as he looked at the image of Usagi, "just one more to go, then the real fun begins."

"You need to get your head shrunk," said Kairi, "I mean it. Just do us all a favor and stick your head under a shrink ray."

"Is that the best you've got?" Gideon asked, "your insults are running out of steam."

"Well excuse me," said Kairi, "I'm not feeling so good right about now."

"Well, you can rest easy," said Gideon, "your time is just about up."

Just then Xorat and Kiraxi walked into the room, "ready to go after the last brat, oh mistress of all evil," Xorat said to Maleficent.

"Just show us the way and we'll get her," said Kiraxi. Her face then twitched, "and we'll beat anyone protecting her into a bloody pulp, then we'll take that bloody pulp and rip it apart, then gather up all the bits and pieces and grind them into slime, then pour the slime into a mold, bake it until it's hard, then smash it against a wall!" she then yawned, "I'll do it tomorrow, I'm feeling kinda down, know what I mean?"

"What is this nonsense?" Maleficent asked.

"It's a side effect of overuse of Formula X-35," said The Negotiator.

"What are you talking about?" Kiraxi asked in an all too cheerful tone, grinning like an idiot all the while, "I feel perfectly fine. I'm fit as a fiddle, I've never felt fiddler." Her expression then changed to one of utter sorrow, "I'm so depressed and I don't know why! Life sucks, it's so pointless! I need a hug!" with that she abruptly embraced The Negotiator and began crying into his shoulder.

Startled, The Negotiator reluctantly patted Kiraxi's shoulder as her falling tears seemed to be unending.

"You need help, my evil twin," said Kairi, "seriously, you need to talk to someone, or check into drug rehab."

At that Kiraxi pushed The Negotiator away from her and stalked towards Kairi, her face twisted with rage, "I don't need help! I need no one's help, especially from you!" she looked at Gideon, "can I kill her now?"

"Not just yet," said Gideon, "I want her alive just long enough for her to see the last princess being captured. After that, if she doesn't die on her own, then you can kill her."

At that Kiraxi's expression brightened again, "super!" she said as she smiled, "can't wait." she looked at Kairi, "just hold on for a little bit. I'll be back before you know it, then we'll have some fun."

"Your idea of fun makes me want to hurl," said Kairi.

"Well then," said Kiraxi, "I'll finish my bit of fun by hurling you from the highest tower in the castle. I wonder how long it'll take you to fall? And will you make a 'splat' sound? Or another sound," she then giggled insanely, "I can't wait to find out!"

"Then lets go get the last brat so we can find out," said Xorat.

"You're so good to me!" said Kiraxi in a seductive manner as she smiled coyly at Xorat. She then abruptly grabbed Xorat by the arms, "take me! Here! Now!"

"What?" a startled Xorat asked, "you mean…you want to…here? In front of the mistress?"

"Here, there, anywhere!" said Kiraxi in a deranged tone as she got behind Xorat and began rubbing her hands across his chest, "I've seen how you look at me. You desire me, do you not?"

"Well, I see you as an equal in the darkness," said Xorat in an uncomfortable tone, "you're a valued comrade. But to pursue a relationship would be pointless. I am a Nobody in service to the Mistress of all Evil, I cannot have a romantic relationship."

"Who said anything about romance?" Kiraxi asked, "I'm talking about lust; primal, unadulterated, instinctive lust. My heart is full of it, burning with desire."

"I have no heart!" said Xorat, "I cannot feel anything good in me."

"I don't want your heart even if you had one," said Kiraxi. She then abruptly placed her hand on his crotch, "I want this!" she then smiled as his body reacted, "oh, so you're still human in that aspect."

"Is this a side effect of the drug?" a disgusted Kairi asked.

"It's not one that was discovered in the tests," said The Negotiator, "but then again, the drug is still new, with a lot of work needing to be done."

"You tuned my biot into a nymphomaniac!" said an outraged Kairi to Gideon.

"I'm just as surprised as you are," said Gideon.

"Indeed," said Maleficent in a tone that said she was considering something most foul, "Gideon, you said that you believed that Kiraxi would be terminated upon the capture of the final princess of heart, is that not so?"

"What!" Kiraxi exclaimed. She shoved Xorat away from her, sending him crashing into the wall. She then stalked over to Gideon, "you were going to kill me?"

"Uh, it crossed my mind," said Gideon, "I mean, I only made you so that you could get the Princesses of Heart. After that…"

"After that you were going to throw me out like a science experiment!" Kiraxi shouted as she began crying again, "is that all I am to you? A science experiment?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," said The Negotiator, "you are an experiment."

You're not helping, demon filth!" snapped Kiraxi. She then summoned her black Keyblade, "give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you all here and now? And what's stopping me from going down to the dungeon and killing the brats there? Well? What's stopping me?"

"A chance at a new life," said Maleficent.

"What do you mean?" Kiraxi asked cautiously. He expression changed from outraged sorrow to one of paranoia, "wait, you're trying to work your mojo on me. You're trying to take over my mind! Get out of my mind!"

"I have not used any magic on you, my dear one," said Maleficent in a disarming tone, "I am merely suggesting an alternative to your situation."

"And just what would that be?" Gideon asked.

"Why, having her pursue a relationship with Xorat," said Maleficent.

"I beg your pardon!" exclaimed Xorat, "great one, with all due respect, I cannot…"

"How can you know that you cannot if you do not try?" Maleficent asked.

"Just what are you getting at?" Gideon asked.

"I will explain," said Maleficent, "for my plan is deeply detailed, so pay attention. Your battle with Sora and his companions may have deprived them of their Keyblades, but they will recover them in time, if not already."

"But we saw the battle," said Gideon, "the Keyblades of Sora, Riku and Tess were destroyed. We saw them shatter."

"A Keyblade is never separated from its chosen wielder for long," said Maleficent, "Yes, the brats will recover their Keyblades, and they will gather their friends and allies, and they will come here to do battle with the darkness. I intend to destroy them before they're ready to attack."

"So that's why you're summoning so many Heartless and Nobodies," said Gideon, "not just to launch an invasion, but to wipe out the enemy first."

"It'll never work!" said Kairi, "Sora and the others will get their Keyblades back! They'll cut through anything you send at them, then they'll come here and destroy you all!"

"Sora will not come!" said Maleficent, "not after what I have planned."

"And just what is your plan?" Kiraxi asked.

"That will have to wait until you and Xorat return with the last princess," said Maleficent, "I cannot give away everything at first, now can I?"

"I suppose not," said Kiraxi in a contemplative tone, "especially if it results in getting what I want," she then looked at Xorat, "and I know what I want."

"That is irreverent," said Xorat, "I am a Nobody, a creature without a heart. I cannot have a romantic relationship, or even a lustful one. The very idea of such an liaison is," he looked at Kiraxi in a way that said that she repulsed him, "it is not pleasant to me."

"It will be," said Maleficent, "and you will be pleased. Now go and carry out the final phase of your mission!"

At that Xorat looked as if he wanted to say more, but his conditioning to obey forced him to do that, obey, "I live to serve you, oh great and terrible Maleficent."

"And I live to serve Gideon," said Kiraxi. She then summoned a Dark Corridor, but as she walked past Xorat, she gave his behind and affectionate squeeze, earning a startled yelp and a jump from him, "I'll be professional in the field, but when we get back, are we going to have fun or what?" with that she stepped through the Dark Corridor.

"I sincerely hope you know what you're doing, great one," said Xorat to Maleficent. With that he stepped into the Dark Corridor, which closed up after him.

"Just what are you doing?" Kairi asked, "you're going to kill me anyway, so why not tell me?"

"Yes, you will die," said Maleficent, "but not before you witness the fulfillment of my plan. I intend to have Xorat and Kiraxi mate and produce an offspring."

"You want my biot and that Nobody to have a child?" a shocked, disgusted and outraged Kairi asked.

"Is that possible?" Gideon asked, "wait, what about your plan to have two of the Hakonian nobles mate and produce a child?"

"That plan was cast aside when I removed the Hakonians from service," said Maleficent, "that entire race has proven to be unreliable, but Xorat and Kiraxi have shown nothing but success. When they return, I will modify Xorat so that he can have a relationship. He will plant his seed in Kiraxi, and she will bear the dark child that will be the first of many."

"First of many what?" Gideon asked cautiously.

"Of a new breed of dark warriors," said Maleficent, "it is what I have been working towards for centuries. Heartless and Nobodies make adequate minions and cannon folder, yet they are lacking in areas that I desire.

"I seek a conclave of dark warriors whom have power, intelligence, and most of all, obedience. The Heartless have the power, but lack intelligence, and can overwhelm those too foolish to control them. Nobodies also have the power, but while they are intelligent, they are too willful, especially the ones who retain the memories of their former selves."

"But you succeeded with Xorat," said The Negotiator, "he obeys your every command."

"Yet he is only _one_," said Maleficent, "I need more than one loyal warrior. "Even with my powers elevated to their new heights, I alone cannot control the numbers of Heartless and Nobodies that I seek. While I have millions, I seek billions and beyond."

"It's not enough that you want The Realms of Light," said Kairi, "you want other universes, all universes. That's why you originally got all those Villians together. Hades, Ursula, Captain Hook, Jaffar, Oogie Boogie, you wanted commanders."

"That dark alliance was a complete fiasco," said Maleficent, "upon my resurrection, while I was attempting to piece it back together as well as it could be repaired, I sought to take control of Organization XIII. Again, I was met with disaster. Sora and his companions defeated Xehanort and the Organization, and the door to Kingdom Hearts was lost to me once again.

"Yet I was not met with complete failure. While I had lost the key to victory, I received a new power base, this fine castle in which we reside in. Once I had established myself here, I had that idiot, Pete, seek out those whom I could use as commanders, the Hakonians. At first they showed promise, yet one by one they either failed miserably, or were killed, all by Sora and his companions.

"When I heard that Nikolai and Katarina were to be forced to mate, I planned to use their offspring to create the commanders I desired."

"You were going to use their children," said Kairi, "but then, their kids would just be more Hakonians, and you'd still be without what you wanted."

"You still do not understand," said Maleficent, "I already anticipated that their offspring would be just Hakonians, more powerful Hakonians than before, but Hakonians nonetheless. So I planned to mutate the children with dark magic, increasing their powers many fold, while also putting them under my complete control."

"But then Gideon sought out an alliance with me, he provided me with his demons. I had hoped that they would be the commanders I sought, but again, I was disappointed by how easily demons die.

"But then Gideon created Kiraxi, and I knew that this was what I desired. Kiraxi is the polar opposite of Kairi in terms of their hearts. She is a dark princess, and my Xorat is, in a manner of speaking, a dark prince."

"So you want them to mate," said Gideon, "and their offspring would be the commanders you desired."

"It's brilliant," said The Negotiator, "with all due respect, Mr. Graves, but Maleficent's plan is just brilliant."

"It's despicable!" said Kairi.

"I know," said Maleficent, "it is despicable, deplorable, diabolical, and it is my key to ultimate victory! Xorat and Kiraxi will mate! They will produce offspring! And their offspring shall be mine!"

* * *

><p>"I've changed my mind," said Mina as she and everyone else stood directly underneath Tokyo Tower, with her hair done up like Usagi's and Usagi's hair tied up with Mina's bow, "this is not going to work. There's no way I can convince the enemy that I'm Usagi-chan!"<p>

"But you convinced the Death Busters that you were me," said Usagi.

"I convinced them that I was Sailor Moon," said Mina, "they had you right in front of them. I'm sorry, Usagi-chan, but this just isn't going to work."

"It won't work if we don't try," said Alice, "and we're going to try."

"It's either this," said Mako, "or fight directly and risk getting killed."

"Or we'll run away," said Ami, "which would only have them chase after us, and we'll still be in danger."

"This is our best chance of getting the drop on them," said Jasper, "our best opportunity to finish the maniacs once and for all."

"I think we should at least wait," said Rei, "Setsuna and Hotaru aren't here yet, and neither is Mamoru."

"Just give Mamo-chan a chance," said Usagi, "he'll come right when we need him, he always has."

Just then Haruka tensed, "the wind just shifted, bearing danger towards us."

"I also sense danger," said Michru as she closed her eyes in concentration, "the waves cry out with peril." she opened her eyes, "they are coming."

"Oh crap!" said Mina as she nervously paced back and forth, "crap, crap, crap!"

"Just calm down, Mina-chan," said Mako, "it's going to work!"

"We have a plan," said Rei.

"Then again," said Ami, "best laid plans of mice and men, after all."

"Well, it won't work if we just stand out here in the open," said Will, "we all need to get out of sight before the lunatics show up."

"Right," said Usagi, she then looked at Naru, "Naru-chan, I think you should get out of here now."

"But I want to stay and help," said Naru, "I know I can't really do anything, but I still want to try."

"You can help by staying safe," said Usagi, "I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt because of me, so please, for me, go hide."

"Alright," said Naru, "but you have to promise to stay safe too."

"I promise," said Usagi, "now get out of here before the baddies get here."

"Right," said Naru. She then turned to run away, but before that she turned back and hugged Usagi, and she hugged back. Then Naru ran out of the area and found a place to hide.

"At least she's out of harms way," said Usagi.

"Wish we could say the same for us," said Rei, "just how are we going to get out of sight yet still be able to get to Mina-chan in time?"

"Like this," said a grinning Alice. She grabbed Usagi and Ami and before the two girls could react, Alice jumped up, carrying Usagi and Ami up to the metal support beams of one of the tower legs.

"Are you crazy!" Usagi exclaimed as she grabbed the support beam and held on for dear life, "why'd you do that?"

"We're high up enough so that the enemy won't notice us," said Ami as she also held onto the support beam, while Jasper jumped up with Mako and Rei, making sure the two girls were safe, then jumped down to grab Haruka and Michru.

"They enemy won't see us," said Alice, "but we can see them," she then jumped down to grab Will, who was carrying Kirjava, and jumped up and they grabbed hold of the support beam. She then jumped down and came back up with Roxas and Naminé.

"Good luck, Mina-chan!" Mako shouted.

"We're with you in heart!" said Usagi.

"I know!" said Mina, just as the Dark Corridor opened up ten paces in front of her.

"Here they come!" said Jasper, "everyone keep quiet until I give the signal."

Kiraxi emerged from the Dark Corridor, followed by Xorat.. Then both saw Mina, "so there you are," said Kiraxi, "right out in the open, how convenient," she smiled wickedly, "and how much more enjoyable it'll be for me," she looked at Xorat, "and for you, my tall, dark man thing."

"Uh…" said an uncomfortable Xorat.

"Excuse me?" said a confused Mina asked, "um…are you…who are you guys?" she was trying to act like Usagi, attempting to emulate her friend's mild airhead mannerism, but not doing a very good job by it.

"Are they the maniacs?" Usagi asked.

"They are indeed," said Jasper.

"But something's different," said Alice, "something, about the girl, about the biot." she sniffed the air, "she's definitely different from before. She's been chemically altered somehow, I can smell it."

"Like a drug," said Jasper, "drug addicts produce distinct pheromones as a result of their addictions, byproducts of the chemicals they abuse their bodies with."

"So she's a drug addict now," said Will, "can we use that to help us?"

"Maybe," said Jasper, "depends on what manner of drug she is on."

"From what I see," said Michru, "she's on mood elevators and aphrodisiacs."

By now Kiraxi had her arms around Xorat, clutching him in an adoring fashion, "I can hardly wait until you're mine, all mine!" she said.

"It's horrible," said a highly offended Naminé, "her, with Kairi's face, draping herself over that monster."

"I'll rip them both apart," said Roxas.

Back on the ground, Xorat was finally losing his patience. He grabbed Kiraxi by the arms, pried her from his torso and tossed her to the ground, "keep away from me, you drug addled mutant!"

"So you want to play hard to get, do you?" Kiraxi asked. She licked her lips seductively.

"I don't want to play at all!" snapped Xorat, "I want to accomplish our mission, by capturing this brat here!" he pointed at Mina, "if my mistress decrees that we are to mate, I'll obey. But I can promise you this, I won't enjoy it."

At that Kiraxi's mood shifted again. She now looked as if Xorat's words had inflicted deep emotional wounds, "don't you like me?" she asked, "aren't you attracted to me in the slightest way?"

"Not even a micron of attraction," said Xorat, "to me you are just a comrade in the darkness, nothing more, nothing less. Now pull yourself together so we can accomplish the mission."

But the mission was hardly on Kiraxi's mind. She began crying, "you hate me! My very existence offends you!"

"What?" Xorat said, "I never said that."

"But you meant it," bawled Kiraxi, "you hate me!"

"They're distracted," said Jasper, "this is what we've been waiting for. Alice, you take Kiraxi, I'll focus on Xorat."

"Bad idea," said Alice, "I saw what will happen. Kiraxi, she's no longer affected by vampire venom."

"What?" Roxas asked, "she's immune? How'd that happen?"

"I can guess," said Alice, "the drugs she's on, they've changed more than her emotional stability, it's altered her very DNA. Biting her won't hurt her at all."

"Does this mean we're going to have to run away after all?" Mako asked.

"Well we can't leave Mina-chan down there," said Rei.

"We're not going to," said Jasper, "Kiraxi's emotional state can still work to our advantage. Alice and I will attack Xorat. Will, Roxas, Naminé, you and the Sailor Senshi will attack the biot before she has a chance to pull herself together."

"That's not very honorable, attacking a girl while she's like that," said Michru.

"That is no girl," insisted Naminé, "that thing is a dark copy of someone whom is the closest thing I have to a twin sister. That thing down there is the opposite of everything bright and true in Kairi, and I'll be damned if we show that thing any mercy."

"She is pure evil," said Roxas, "and evil must be destroyed."

"Then let's destroy her," said Haruka as she pulled out a blue rod that had a large blue crystal sphere on. On top of the crystal was a gold, six-pointed star with the symbol for the planet Uranus. Michru also had a similar crystal rod, one that had the symbol for Neptune.

Rei, Mako and Ami also had crystal rods, each with the symbols for their respective planets; Mars, Jupiter and Mercury. Usagi had a golden, heart-shaped locket set with different colored jewels, with white wings to the side.

"That's a different locket than the one you used before," said Roxas.

"Our powers have evolved a lot since you were here last," said Rei.

"You can show us what you've got when we make our move," said Jasper, "but wait for my signal, we have to time this just right."

"What!" hissed Alice, "what is Mina doing? She can't be seriously considering that!"

"What are you talking about?" Will asked.

"Look," said Mako, "Mina-chan, she's…"

Everyone looked down and saw Mina cautiously walk over to the distraught Kiraxi.

"Are you…I think I can help," said Mina as she knelt down beside the crying biot.

"You…help me?" Kiraxi asked between sobs, "why should you bother with a hideous little monster like me."

"You're not hideous," said Mina as she sat down next to Kiraxi, "you're quite pretty, actually."

"What are you doing?" Xorat asked.

"I'm trying to help, you emotionally repressed nutcase," said Mina, "so just back off."

"I ought to break your arms and legs!" said Xorat, "and drag you to Maleficent myself and leave this worthless bag of blubbering protoplasm to rot."

At that Kiraxi began crying harder, "he hates me! Oh gods, kill me now! Just let me die! I'm so pathetic!"

"You're not pathetic," said Mina, "you have everything going for you. If you want this guy, I say go for it."

"She's actually trying to help that psychopath?" Kirjava asked, "is she insane?"

"I wonder that myself sometimes," said Rei.

"You really think I can have a good chance with Xorat?" Kiraxi asked as she calmed down.

"Absolutely," said Mina as she pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Kiraxi, "so, clean yourself up and do what you have to do to get your man!"

"You're right," said Kiraxi as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "you're absolutely right! I can do this!" she stood up, as did Mina, "I can make Xorat mine!"

"Oh please," said a disgusted Xorat, "don't make me laugh."

"Oh shut up, you lazy bum," said Kiraxi, "I'm talking with my friend here."

"Friend?" Mina asked.

"You're friends with the waif?" Xorat asked, "when we have to bring her with us? You know what's going to happen to her, and the other princesses."

"I know," said Kiraxi, "and I'm sorry for it," she looked at Mina, "I have to take you with me to Mr. Gideon, but at least we're friends."

"I'm sorry it has to be this way," said Mina, "but yes, we're friends."

"Friends," said a smiling Kiraxi. She held out her hand, "I'm Kiraxi."

"I'm Minako Aino, or just Mina to my friends."

"Wait a second!" said Xorat, "what did you say your name was?"

"Uh…" said a dumbfounded Mina as she realized that she had made a devastating mistake, "Usagi Tsukino."

Just then Kiraxi's mood changed again, one to unadulterated rage, "you said your name was Minako, not Usagi. You lied! You lied to me you bitch!" she then grabbed by her wrist, "I'll kill you!"

Mina tried to get away, but Kiraxi's grip was too strong. The vile biot held her other hand back and charged up a sphere of black flames, "prepare to die!"

"No!" snapped Xorat as he grabbed Kiraxi's outstretch arm, breaking her concentration and snuffing out the dark fire, "we need her alive!"

"Don't you tell me what to do, you empty shell of a man!" snapped Kiraxi. She shoved Mina aside, forcing her skidding across the pavement several yards, "I'll rip you apart!"

"Now!" shouted Jasper. He and Alice jumped down, landing neatly beside Xorat and before either of the two Villains could react, the two vampires grabbed him by the neck and sunk their teeth into both sides of his neck.

The vile nobody howled in agony as the double douse of vampire venom coursed through his system, setting his whole body on fire from the inside. He crumpled to the ground and began convulsing as if he was having a seizer.

At the same time, Will, Kirjava, Roxas and Naminé also jumped to the ground. Namine went to Mina and helped her up, while Will, Kirjava and Roxas took positions around Kiraxi.

"You're going to pay for what you did to Lyra!" snapped Will as he drew his sword.

"Remember us?" Roxas asked he summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion, "remember what you did to Sora, Riku and Tess?"

"Why, yes I do," said Kiraxi as she grinned eagerly. She summoned her black Keyblade, "and I'm going to do the same to you, pretty boy! I'll see to it that you never wield a Keyblade again!"

"Not this time," said Roxas as he assumed a fighting stance, "this time, I'll break _your_ Keyblade!"

"Can I say something?" Mina asked as she undid the buns in her hair and pulled out a spare ribbon and tied her hair into its regular shape, "I just want to say that I'm ashamed of you, Kiraxi."

"Ashamed?" Kiraxi asked, "why should you be ashamed of me?"

"I'm ashamed that you have no real heart," said Mina, "I thought that you had some semblance of humanity in you. I thought you were capable of love. Now I see that you are nothing but a monster with nothing but evil within you. I tried to help you, and I'm ashamed that I even tried."

"You go, Mina-chan!" shouted Usagi.

"Usagi, you dipstick!" snapped Rei.

At that Kiraxi looked up and saw Usagi, Rei and the other Sailor Senshi, "oh, so there's the real Usagi Tsukino," she smiled wickedly, "now we play!" she threw her dark Keyblade up at the support beams, cutting through the one that Usagi was holding on to. It began to collapse and Usagi lost her grip. Rei tried to grab her, but Usagi slipped through her fingers, screaming as gravity pulled her to the ground.

"Usagi-chan!" shouted Ami, Rei, Mako, Mina, Haruka and Michru.

But as he fell, Usagi held onto her golden locket and opened it, revealing the inside to be white with a rainbow pattern with a red, five pointed star in the middle.

"Moon Eternal…Make Up!" shouted Usagi and with a flash of brightly colored light, she was transformed.

When she landed, she wore a white sailor fuku with a rainbow-hued skirt and knee-length boots and elbow-length white gloves. Her hair buns were adorned with red gems with white barrettes. Her forehead was adorned with a gold, crescent moon and she wore gold, moon-shaped earrings. But the most dazzling aspect of her outfit was a pair of white angelic wings adorning her back.

"Sailor Moon!" said Mina.

"Villains form another world," said Sailor Moon, "how dare you come here and attempt to take an innocent girl from those she loves."

"Where'd you get those wings?" Naminé asked Sailor Moon, "they're awesome."

"You think so?" Sailor Moon, "personally I think they're a bit awkward, especially when I'm trying to go through a tight space."

"It's you whom I'm trying to abduct, you blond bimbo!" said Kiraxi, "so pay attention to me!"

"Believe what you want, I won't let you get away with it!" said the transformed girl, "Pretty soldier of Love and Justice; Sailor Moon!"

"So what?" Kiraxi asked, "you're just one silly little girl in a silly outfit!"

"She's not silly!" shouted Rei.

"And she's not alone!" said Mako.

"She's never alone!" said Ami.

"Not while we live!" said Michru.

"And we'll fight to keep our princess safe!" said Haruka. With that the five of them jumped to the ground, all of them holding up their transformation rods and shouting…

"Mercury Crystal Power!"

"Mars Crystal Power!

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

"Uranus Crystal Power!

"Neptune Crystal Power!"

At the same time, Mina held up her transformation rod and shouted…

"Venus Crystal Power!"

And all together they shouted, "…Make Up!"

With dazzling flashes of light, they all transformed, appearing now in similar sailor fuku outfits with ribbons in front and trailing from the back.

Ami's was blue and light blue, Rei's was red and indigo, Mako's was green and pink, Haruka's was dark blue and yellow, Michru's was dark green and blue, and Mina's was orange and blue.

"Pretty Soldier of Water and Wisdom; Super Sailor Mercury!"

"Pretty Soldier of Fire and Passion; Super Sailor Mars!"

"Pretty Soldier of Thunder and Courage; Super Sailor Jupiter!"

"Pretty Soldier of Hope and Beauty; Super Sailor Venus!"

"Pretty Soldier of Sky and Flight; Super Sailor Uranus!"

"Pretty Soldier of Depths and Embrace; Super Sailor Neptune!"

"In the name of the moon," said Sailor Moon, "and all the worlds, we'll punish you!"

At that Kiraxi laughed cruelly, "I'm the only one doing the punishing here," she then glared at Xorat, whom was still writing on the ground from the vampire venom, "are you just going to lay there all useless and such? Or are you going to get up and help me?"

"I'll get up when I'm damn ready, you psycho slut!" shouted Xorat.

"We won't let you!" said Alice, "time for another shot of vitamin V!"

"Nobodies have some defense against our venom," said Jasper, "but you can still be hurt!"

"I won't let you have the chance to hurt me!" shouted Xorat as he struggled to his feet, clearly still pained by the venom already in him, but ready to fight nonetheless, "I'll smash you to pieces!"

"Not if we smash you first!" said Kirjava as she and Will faced the vile Nobody. With his sword raised, Will rushed at Xorat, while Alice and Jasper rushed at the vile Nobody from the sides.

"I got this maniac," said Roxas as he glared at Kiraxi.

"No," said Kiraxi, "I've got you!" she shot a stream of black flames at Roxas, who dodged them, then countered with two fireballs.

Kiraxi blocked the flames with her dark Keyblade, then rushed at Roxas. The two of them met and their Keyblades clashed with a shower of sparks, their weapons moving so fast that the normal eye could barely keep up with them. But where as before Kiraxi had dominated her fights, Roxas seemed to have a slight advantage.

"You're slower than before!" said Roxas, "all those drugs you've been taking, they're making your mind into mush!"

"Then I'll just have to take more!" said Kiraxi. She jumped back and pulled out her jet injector.

"Don't let her take the drug!" shouted Alice as she, Jasper and Will fought Xorat. While the vile Nobody was still in pain from the venom, he was still able to keep up with his three opponents so that they couldn't touch him, yet he wasn't getting any good hits either.

"Just try and stop me!" said Kiraxi as she primed the jet injector and was about to place it on her neck.

"I don't think so!" said Sailor Jupiter. She held out her hand. Her planet symbol appeared, surrounded by a green wreath of leaves, "Jupiter Oak Evolution!" Several green, leaf-shaped bolts of lightning shot at Kiraxi. The vile biot jumped away, avoiding several of the leaf bolts, but one of them knocked the jet injector out of her hands.

"No!" shouted Kiraxi franticly. She scrambled after the jet injector.

"Venus Love Me Chain!" shouted Sailor Venus as she shot a chain made of gold heart-shaped links at the jet injector. The chain grabbed the jet injector and Sailor Venus pulled it away from Kiraxi.

"Give that back, you bitch!" snapped Kiraxi.

"Never!" said Sailor Venus as she reeled in her chain and held the jet injector, "Sailor Jupiter!" she then threw the jet injector to the Senshi of thunder and courage, who caught it.

"I'll murder you all!" snapped Kiraxi as she rushed at Sailor Jupiter with her dark Keyblade raised.

Sailor Mercruy held out her hand, her planet symbol appearing around a blue wreath, "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" the Senshi of water and wisdom said as a harp made of water appeared in her hands. She played a few notes and several notes made of water appeared. The water notes then shot at and hit Kiraxi, soaking and knocking the vile copy down.

"Now I'm getting steamed!" said Kiraxi as he body produced enough heat to evaporate the water on her. She then summoned several black flames and threw them at Sailor Mercury.

She dodged the flames, then Sailor Mars got in front of her, "So, you want to play with fire?" the senshi of flame and passion asked, "then prepare to be burned!" she held out her hand, her planet symbol appeared around a red wreath, "Mars Flame Sniper!" a bow and arrow of fire appeared in her hands. She aimed at the vile biot and loosed the arrow at Kiraxi.

She brought her dark Keyblade up to block it, but when the blazing arrow hit the dark Keyblade, it detonated, exploding with enough force to knock the vile biot down. But then Kiraxi started to get up again, "no way am I losing to a bunch of floozies like you!"

"Who are you calling floozies?" Sailor Moon asked. She then touched the gold crescent moon on her forehead and in her hands appeared her old tiara. She then charged it with gold-colored energy, "Moon Tiara Action!" she shouted as she threw it at Kiraxi like a Frisbee. The vile biot raised her dark Keyblade again to block, but the charged tiara knocked the vile weapon out of Kiraxi's hands. It clattered to the ground and vanished.

"We got her now!" said Sailor Moon as she jumped with joy.

"You ain't got nothing!" said Kiraxi as she resummoned her dark Keyblade. She then set her vile eyes on Sailor Jupiter, "give me my drugs!"

"You want it?" Sailor Jupiter asked, "go get it!" she tossed the jet injector to Naminé, who then threw it to the ground and stomped on it, smashing the machine and spilling the dose of X-35 across the pavement.

"No!" exclaimed Kiraxi as she ran over to the remains of the jet injector, "that was my only injector! You've ruined me!"

"Enough of this!" snapped Xorat as he continued to duel with Will, Jasper and Alice, "Raging Storm!" his crimson aura flared up, while burning the venom from his body. He grabbed Will by his face and threw him across the area. He then grabbed both Jasper and Alice, then tossed them both over his shoulder.

"You brain-addled addict!" snapped Xorat as he stomped over to Kiraxi, "you should never have accepted Gideon's drugs!"

"Then you should never have accepted Maleficent's upgrade either," said Kiraxi.

"My new powers haven't affected me in the slightest!" said Xorat, "in fact, they've improved me, while yours have made you all but useless!"

"I am not useless!" snapped Kiraxi, "and I'll prove it!" she then took out a dose vial of X-35, "I'll prove I'm not useless!" she popped the top off of the vial and brought it to her lips."

* * *

><p>"No!" said The Negotiator as he, Gideon, Maleficent and Kairi watched the battle, seeing Kiraxi about to drink the drug, "it was never meant to be taken orally! Mr. Graves, you must stop her!"<p>

"Too late," said Gideon as they saw Kiraxi drink the dose of X-35.

"What will this do to her?" Maleficent asked.

"I…don't know," said The Negotiator as he pulled out his PDA, "Formula X-35 was never intended to be used this way. It's supposed to be taken directly into the bloodstream. But, ingested…I cannot say what will happen. It may act the same way as when taken normally, it may act with reduced effects, or it could act with greater effects. We never experimented with this possibility."

"Perhaps next time when you experiment with drugs," said Maleficent, "you should take all possibilities into account!"

"Well excuse me, dark lady," said Gideon, "for not having a dozen heads so I could keep better track of all my projects."

"Look!" said Kairi, "something's happening to her!"

* * *

><p>Indeed, the drugs were taking effect on Kiraxi, not as strongly as when she injected them, but her black fire area flared up nonetheless. The major difference was the lack of distended blood vessels around her eyes, while here eyes were only slightly tinged with red.<p>

"Now it's my turn!" said Kiraxi. She then shot several waves of black fire at all of the Sailor Senshi, Roxas and Naminé, forcing them all to dodge and duck. The black flames also shot at Xorat, Will, Jasper and Alice, forcing them to duck and dodge as well.

"She's completely out of control!" said Alice.

"Tell me something I don't know!" exclaimed Xorat.

"I'll burn you all!" snapped Kiraxi as she continued to unleash her black fire, "I'll burn this whole freaking city down!" But then her fire aura began to fade, eventually flaring out.

"No!" she shouted, "not now!" she then pulled out another dose vial, popped the top and drank it. Within seconds her fire aura was back, "that's more like it!" she shouted as she shot more and more black flames at Sailor Moon and her friends.

"We can't keep dodging forever!" said Sailor Jupiter.

"I'm open to suggestions!" said Sailor Mars.

"Just give me a moment!" said Sailor Mercury as she touched the side of her tiara, causing her handheld computer to appear, as well as the HUD visor to appear before her eyes. She began scanning Kiraxi, "her body is metabolizing the drug as if it were a normal drug, like aspirin, only having it run through her digestive track is making the drug wear off much quicker."

"That doesn't make any sense," said Sailor Uranus.

"Well that's what's happening to her," said Sailor Mercury. "I know it defies logic, but that's just how it is."

"Then we just have to wait until she runs out of the drug," said Sailor Venus as Kiraxi drank another vial, "then she's done for."

But then one wave of black fire came too close to Sailor Moon, scorching her calf. She fell to the ground and clutched her leg, wincing in agony.

"Sailor Moon!" exclaimed Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus.

"I'm alright," said Sailor Moon, "she just winged me."

"I'll wing you alright," said Kiraxi as she stalked towards Sailor Moon, "I'll tear off both your arms!"

"We won't let you!" said Sailor Uranus. She raised her hand and summoned a huge sphere of yellow energy, "World Shaking!" she slammed the sphere to the ground and it shot towards Kiraxi. The sphere hit the vile biot with the force of an earthquake, severely shaking her about and allowing Sailor Mercury and Sailor Venus to get Sailor Moon out of harms way.

Sailor Neptune then raised both hands and summoned a large dark blue sphere of energy, "Deep Submerge!" she shouted as she shot the dark blue sphere at Kiraxi. The sphere hit the vile biot with the force of a tsunami, knocking her to the ground.

Kiraxi tried to get up, but Naminé charged up several spheres of white energy and threw them at the vile biot, knocking her about. Roxas then ran up to Kiraxi and hit the vile biot with a double Keyblade cross strike that completely knocked Kiraxi to the ground.

"Now she's done for," said Roxas.

"Sailor moon!" said Sailor Uranus, "finish her!"

"Don't hesitate!" said Sailor Neptune, "she's evil through and through! She must be destroyed!"

"You don't have to remind me!" said Sailor Moon as she summoned a white large rod that had a large red jewel on top set with gold. The middle of the rod had a red circle with a gold interior and a red pentagram, offset with white wings.

But then Kiraxi began laughing insanely as she sat up, "so it's come to this then," she said, "do or die time. Either I lay down and succumb to fate and expire," she then pulled out from her pockets five vials, her remaining supply of Formula X-35, "or I take extreme measures, in order to obtain victory. Decisions, decisions, decisions."

* * *

><p>"No!" said The Negotiator, "she can't be thinking of doing that!"<p>

"She's going to drink it all," said Gideon, "a quintuple dose."

"What will that do to her?" Kairi asked.

"Either it will destroy her," said Maleficent, "or it will give her more power than before."

"The former is the more likely outcome," said The Negotiator as he checked his PDA, "the initial tests say that if the X-35 is taken in excess, weather via injection or orally, it could possibly destabilize her DNA, causing her body to weaken and eventually self destruct."

"Regardless, said Maleficent, "I suggest you get over there, Gideon, and rectify the situation."

"What are you talking about?" Gideon asked, "why should I get my hands dirty in this situation?"

"Because this is your creation whom is on the verge of possible self destruction," said Maleficent, "and I want you on hand to be able to ensure her survival. I have not labored this long to lose my best chance to realize my ultimate goals, just because you cannot control your own creation."

"Why don't you have your monster take control of the situation?" Gideon asked, "he's not doing anything right now. Or better yet, let Kiraxi die. I could just create another biot of her from the original, and the new version will be better conditioned in mind and body."

"Unadvisable, Mr. Graves," said the Negotiator, "at her current health status, Kairi's cells are weakened to the point that any biot of hers wouldn't survive to maturation."

"Looks like you've painted yourself into a corner, Gideon," said Kairi as she smiled weakly.

"This isn't happening," said Gideon in a frustrated tone, "things just can't be this out of control. They can't!"

* * *

><p>"Bottoms up!" said Kiraxi as she popped the tops of the five vials.<p>

"Don't do it!" said Xorat.

"Like you care," said Kiraxi. With that she dumped all five vials worth of X-35 down her throat and swallowed. Almost instantly her black fire aura flared up once again, only now it was five times more powerful than before.

"Oh yes!" said Kiraxi as he body was engulfed in black flames, "that's what I'm talking about, baby!" she then shot out wave after wave of black fire at our heroes, forcing the Sailor Senshi, Roxas and Naminé, to the ground.

"To hell with Gideon!" said Kiraxi, "and screw Maleficent, I'll burn this entire world to ashes!"

"You _are _mad!" said Xorat, "I want nothing more to do with you!"

"Then you'll burn too!" said Kiraxi. She laughed insanely as she rose into the air and sent out more waves of black fire. The black flames spread out throughout Tokyo, setting random buildings and cars afire and burning innocent people, all and all creating a mass panic.

"She's got to be stopped!" said both Will and Kirjava.

"I'm open to suggestions!" said Jasper.

* * *

><p>"This has gone too far," said Maleficent, "Gideon, terminate this little experiment of yours, now!"<p>

"I doubt that even I can stop her in her present condition," said Gideon.

"I believe I have a new solution, Mr. Graves," said The Negotiator, "one that will satisfy both you and Maleficent, and possibly Xorat. Disconnect the energy transfer, leaving Kiraxi on her own, while giving Kairi enough healing items to restore part of her strength. We will use the existing DNA stock to create a second viable biot. That biot will be better conditioned, and use that one to mate with Xorat. Once the new biot is complete, we'll reconnect her to Kairi and start the energy transfer process again."

"And this Kiraxi?" Gideon asked.

"I estimate that she will burn herself out soon enough," said The Negotiator, "if she doesn't die on her own, then the foolish heroes will destroy what's left of her."

"What of the princess?" Maleficent asked, "both of us are so close to our goals, while yours depends more on the capture of the girl."

"We'll try and get her later," said Gideon, "no, those losers will try to hide her somewhere, and the next time they'll be better prepared for us."

"Then may I suggest that we let her got for the time being," said Maleficent, "let the fools believe that they have won. I will instruct Xorat to return here, but not before casting a tracking spell on the princess. Then at a time of our choosing, we will locate and capture here, but it will be at a time when her defenders are least suspecting our move."

"Then let's get started," said Gideon as he walked over to the energy-draining chair that Kairi was strapped into, "by the way, will Kiraxi feel the stop of the energy transfer?"

"I doubt it," said The Negotiator, "though for Kairi, the feeling will not be pleasant."

"I have no objections against that," said Gideon as he pressed a button on the back of the chair, severing the link between Kairi and Kiraxi. Kairi gasped in shock and pain at the sudden termination of the link and nearly passed out.

"Get her chugging Full Heals," said Gideon, "then get another DNA sample as soon as she's strong enough. I want the new Kiraxi up and about as soon as possible."

"There will be a longer wait time, Mr. Graves," said The Negotiator, "to account for the new conditioning."

"It can't be helped," said Gideon, "no more screw ups." He looked at Maleficent, "if you're going to get your pet out of there, now's the time."

"Indeed," said Maleficent.

* * *

><p>"Oh boy," said Alice after a sudden vision, "things just changed."<p>

"How so?" Jasper asked.

Just then Maleficent's disembodied voice could be heard, "Xorat, you are to withdraw from the battle."

"Mistress?" Xorat asked, "is this true? You want me to run away?"

"Not retreat, redeploy," said Maleficent. Xorat could then hear instructions from Maleficent that only he could hear.

"Yes, mistress," said Xorat, "I understand." he dodged a wave of black flames and stood up, "sorry, boys and girls, but I have to leave for now."

"What?" Jasper asked, "you can't leave!"

"We won't let you get away!" said Will.

"Try and stop me!" said Xorat as he shot a beam of crimson energy at Will and Kirjava, then another at Alice and Jasper, forcing them all back from him by several paces.

Xorat then summoned a Dark Corridor, and was about to go through, when he looked at Sailor Moon and cast a tracking spell on her. The senshi of love and justice was too busy dodging waves of black fire to notice the spell settling on her. With his work accomplished, Xorat stepped through the Dark Corridor, which vanished after him.

"Just what happened here?" Kirjava asked.

"I guess the enemy decided to cut and run," said Alice.

"I wish we were that easygoing," said Will as he, Kirjava and the vampires dodged another wave of black fire.

* * *

><p>"Reporting as ordered, great one," said Xorat as he exited the Dark Portal into the dark throne room.<p>

"No doubt you are wondering why you were recalled, Xorat," said Maleficent.

"The sudden order caused me some concern," said Xorat, "but I am sure that it was for the best."

"Indeed," said Maleficent, "there has been a slight change in the plan. The current Kiraxi is to be, in layman's terms, scrapped, while a new biot is being created. This new Kiraxi will be your mate."

At that Xorat looked uncomfortable at the prospect of having a relationship with any Kiraxi, "if it is what you desire, oh mistress of all evil, then it shall be done. But I do it under protest."

"You won't have any hesitations for much longer," said Maleficent, I shall now modify your mind so that you will be attracted to the new Kiraxi, while she will be remade as well."

"She won't have the personality disorders as before," said The Negotiator, "while her emotions will also be more in balance. All in all two of you will be perfect for each other."

"If it is what the mistress desires," said Xorat, "then so be it."

"In the meantime," said Gideon, "let's watch the end of the first Kiraxi."

"You people are all sick!" said Kairi as a demon walked in with a tray full of Full Heals.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," said Gideon.

Just then the image of the battle showed Kiraxi suddenly stumble and bend over, coughing up black blood.

"It would seem" said Maleficent, "that her overuse of the drug is finally catching up with her."

* * *

><p>"You don't look so good," said Roxas as everyone watched Kiraxi cough up blood.<p>

"I'm perfectly fine!" snapped Kiraxi as she stood up and wiped the blood of her lips.

"No, you're not," said Alice, "I see clearly now, your over indulgence of the drug has warped your DNA. It's only a matter of time before you fall apart."

"Then it's time to end this!" said Kiraxi. She then began charging up a huge sphere of black fire, "this will burn the whole damn city to the ground! If i can't destroy the world, i'll just have to be content with destroying Tokyo!"

"You can't!" said Sailor Moon, "you'll kill millions of people!"

"That's the idea, brat!" snapped Kiraxi as she summoned more black fire to her sphere.

"But you'll also die!" said Sailor Mercury as she scanned the sphere of black flames, "that has too much energy in it, you'll be incinerated as well!"

"I don't care!" laughed Kiraxi, "Here it comes!" with that she threw it at the ground.

But then from out of nowhere came the shout of, "Silent Wall!" a large energy barrier surrounded the area around the Sailor Senshi and our heroes. The sphere of black flames hit the barrier and was canceled out.

"What?" Kiraxi asked, "what happened?" She then bent over to caught up more black blood.

Then came another shout, from a different voice, "Dead Scream!" a large purple sphere of energy shot up and hit Kiraxi in the face, knocking her out of the air. The vile biot crashed to the ground.

"What happened?" Roxas asked as he and everyone else got up.

"I know what happened," said a grinning Sailor Moon.

"Their timing couldn't have been better," said Sailor Uranus.

"Indeed," said Sailor Neptune.

"We would have gotten here sooner," said the first voice, "but I had a doctor's appointment."

"You know how bad things can be at a doctor's office," said the second voice.

"I should know," said Sailor Mercury, "my mother is a doctor herself."

Everyone looked and saw two more Sailor Senshi, one short and the other tall. The first wore a purple and brown uniform with petal-shaped sleeves, a star brooch and choker with the same kind of star, gloves, and knee-high, laced-up stiletto boots. She had short black hair with a purple sheen and indigo eyes. In her hands was a large, elaborately crafted glaive.

The second wore a black and garnet colored uniform without sleeves and a garnet attacked to her choker, with white elbow-length gloves and black knee length stiletto boots. She had long green hair and light purple eyes. In her hands was a large staff shaped like a key topped with a large garnet.

"I'm just happy that you're here, guys," said Sailor Moon.

"Well I'm not," said Kiraxi as she got up, spitting black blood, "who the hell are you interlopers?"

"We should introduce ourselves, Setsuna," said the shorter senshi.

"It would be rude to keep our names to ourselves," said the tall senshi. She then glared at Kiraxi, "Pretty Soldier of Time and Space; Sailor Pluto."

"Pretty Soldier of Death and Rebirth; Sailor Saturn!"

"In the name of the past, present and future," said Sailor Pluto.

"And in the name of the cycle of life," said Sailor Saturn, "we'll chastise you!"

"As if you could!" said Kiraxi as she brought her dark Keyblade to bare, "I'll slice you all up the middle!"

"Not this year," said Sailor Uranus as she brought out an elaborately crafted sword set with multi-colored gems, while Sailor Neptune brought out a silver mirror also set with gems.

"What are those?" Naminé asked, "wait…are those…?"

"The talismans that The Death Busters were so eager to get their hands on," said Sailor Uranus, "this is The Space Sword."

"And this is The Deep Aqua Mirror," said Sailor Neptune, "and what's most astonishing was that they were in our heart crystals all along."

"Well, ain't that a kick in the head," said Roxas.

"I'll bet you felt really horrible at the thought of sacrificing yourselves in order to get the talismans out of you," said Naminé.

"Actually," said Sailor Uranus, "we were ready to die in order to get them out, but thanks to Sailor Moon and Sailor Pluto, we were able to separate the talismans from our heart crystals."

"We got the talismans and got to live after all," said Sailor Neptune.

"Then if the sword and mirror are two talismans," said Roxas, "where's the third?"

"I had it all along," said Sailor Pluto as she held up her staff, "the Garnet Orb, otherwise known as The Orb of Time. For millennia I existed outside time as its guardian, but thanks to Sailor Moon and her friends, I was 'relieved' of my duties so I could live a more normal life."

"As if our lives were normal to begin with," said Sailor Saturn. She walked up to Roxas, Naminé, Will, Jasper and Alice, "just so you'll know, this is my Silent Glaive," she indicated her elaborately crafted pole arm, "it's not a talisman, and my name is Hotaru Tomoe."

"And I'm Setsuna Meioh," said Sailor Pluto.

"Nice to meet you," said Alice as she and the others shook hands with Sailor Pluto and sailor Saturn.

"Don't ignore me!" snapped Kiraxi as she summoned more black flames, "I've still got enough juice in me to kill you all! Starting with blondie here!"

"Me?" both Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus asked.

"I mean the blond with meatballs for hair!" said Kiraxi.

"Only Mamo-chan can make fun of my hair!" snapped Sailor Moon.

"Screw your hair!" snapped Kiraxi as she shot her black fire at Sailor Moon, "Die!"

"Silent Wall!" shouted Sailor Saturn again as she projected her barrier in front of Sailor Moon and the others.

"Burn, damn you!" shouted Kiraxi as she poured everything she had into her dark fire. Sailor Saturn's shield held firm, but everyone could tell that the strain was wearing her out rapidly.

But then Kiraxi gasped in exhaustion and nearly lost her balance, ceasing her outpour of dark fire and coughing a large amount of black blood. Sailor Saturn also gasped in exhaustion and nearly collapsed. She fell into Sailor Pluto's arms.

"What happened to her?" Naminé asked.

"She has some heath issues," said Sailor Pluto, "she hasn't the same level of stamina as the rest of us have."

"It's a pity," said Kiraxi as she hefted her dark Keyblade, but was unable to fully maintain her balance, "that she'll be the first to die! I was hoping to make her suffer the most!"

"Haven't you had enough?" Kirjava asked.

"It's not over till I say it's over!" snapped Kiraxi, "I've still enough power to finish you all! Die!"

But before she could attack, a red rose shot from out of nowhere. The razor-sharp stem sliced across her hand, forcing her to drop her dark Keyblade. The rose hit and imbedded itself in the ground, quickly followed by the dark Keyblade.

"Who dares?" exclaimed Kiraxi as she clutched her wounded hand. She looked up to see a man wearing a black and white tuxedo, complete with top hat, white gloves and a black cane, standing on one f the support beams of the tower. The man wore a white mask over his eyes.

"Those who abuse power have no right to it in the first place!" said the masked man. He then jumped to the ground.

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" said all of the Sailor Senshi.

"You always come right when we need you, Tuxedo Kamen-sama," said Sailor Moon.

"I'll always be there for you, Sailor Moon," said Tuxedo Kamen.

"This is all a load of crap!" said Kiraxi.

"Oh shut up already!" said Roxas as he shot a furious barrage of Fire, Thunder and Blizzard spells at Kiraxi, while Naminé also shot spheres of white magic. It was all Kiraxi could do in her weakened state to block them.

At the same time Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus shot their attacks as well.

"Mercury Aqua Raphsody!"

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

The four elemental attacks slammed into Kiraxi.

Sailor Uranus then charged up her blade, "Space Sword Blaster!" and shot an energy wave at Kiraxi.

At the same time Sailor Uranus charged up her Mirror, "Submarine Tide!" and shot a blast at Kiraxi.

Also at the same time, Sailor Pluto charged up another indigo energy sphere, "Dead Scream!" she shouted and shot the sphere at Kiraxi. The three blasts hit the vile biot and knocked her to her knees, causing her dark Keyblade to vanish as she coughed up more and more black blood. She then looked at her hands and saw several small skin lesions that were leaking black blood. Kiraxi then saw that the lesions were cropping up all over her body

"Gideon!" she gasped in between coughs of blood, "help me! Help me, Gideon! Please!"

* * *

><p>"Sorry, babe," said Gideon, "you're a lost cause. I shouldn't have turned you into an addict, but you're the one who has to pay for my mistake."<p>

* * *

><p>"Sailor Moon!" said Sailor Saturn as she regained her footing, leaning on her glaive, "finish it!"<p>

"Right!" said Sailor Moon. She began a series of elaborate twirls and spins that charged up a massive magical attack, "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" a beam of golden light surrounded by rainbow sparks and white feathers shot at Kiraxi, hitting the vile biot with an enormous blast of positive energy.

"No!" she shouted as her body began to fall apart, "I cannot die! I'm superior! I am invincible! I am…Kiraxi!" With that she disintegrated.

"Is it over?" Sailor Venus asked.

"I'd like to know that myself," said Tuxedo Kamen.

"I'm not reading her life sign any more," said Sailor Mercury as she scanned the area, "she is gone."

"Then we did it," said Sailor Uranus, "Sailor Moon, Usagi, our princess, she's safe. It's over."

"It's not over," said Sailor Mars in a distant tone, "my vision, it's changed."

"How so?" Alice asked.

"I remember my original vision," said Sailor Mars, "what I saw in the fire, of Usagi-chan being taken by the enemy. Now a new image is being played in my mind. I…I can see us all, on another world, outside an old house near a city where the day is eternally locked in twilight."

"Twilight Town," said Roxas.

"What are we doing there?" Sailor Moon asked, "Sailor Mars, Rei-chan, what do you see?"

"I see Sora and Riku there with us," said Sailor Mars, "and a lot of other people whom I don't know," she closed her eyes in concentration, "many people, many heroes from across time and space, and we…" she shook her head in frustration, "I can't make any more sense of it," she opened her eyes and looked at Sailor Moon, "I'm sorry, Usagi-chan, but that's all I could get out of it."

"It's alright, Rei-chan," said Sailor Moon, "we'll figure it out later."

"By then it may be too late," said Sailor Pluto, "as we speak events are moving towards a point where one person will have to make a powerful choice, and that choice could either save all realms throughout existence, or damn everything into eternal darkness."

"Who could possibly make that kind of choice?" Sailor Jupiter asked.

"I have my suspicions," said Sailor Saturn, "five suspicions to be exact."

"Do you mean Sora and the others?" Namine asked, "Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess?"

"It's possible," said Sailor Pluto.

"Well, we won't get anything done by staying around here," said Sailor Venus, "if what Rei-chan saw is true, then let's go to this Twilight Town and meet all these people we're going to meet."

"My thoughts exactly," said Tuxedo Kamen. With a sudden flurry of rose petals, he reverted to his normal appearance as Mamoru Chiba, black shirt under a green jacket and tan trousers.

With dazzling flashes of light, all of the Sailor Senshi returned to their normal attire. Hotaru wore a black short with a short black skirt and black stocking and shoes. Setsuna wore a green blouse and a blue jacket and a beige skirt.

"We have what we need to get back to Twilight Town," said Roxas as he pulled out the crystal that King Mickey gave him, "one instant portal and away we go."

Just then came the shout of "USAGI-CHAN!" from Naru as she ran across the area and stopped in front of her friend, "I saw everything. You and the others were incredible."

"Oh, that's right," said Hotaru, "you're Usagi's best friend."

"And she had never seen us in battle before," said Setsuna.

"Oh, I've seen Sailor Moon before," said Naru, "but I've never seen a whole battle from start to finish. Usagi-chan, you and the others, and the guys from the other world, you're all awesome!"

"Glad to know you approve," said Jasper.

"Naru-chan," said Usagi in a serious tone, "I'm just glad that you're okay. But I'm going to have to go away for a while."

"What do you mean?" Naru asked.

"I mean that my friends and I are needed elsewhere," said Usagi.

"We have friends who are in trouble," said Ami, "and the enemy could come back for Usagi-chan again."

"But we'll be better prepared if we're with the others fighting the darkness," said Haruka, "strength in numbers."

"And if the baddies are still dumb enough to try and take Usagi-chan from us," said Mina, "then we'll just smash their heads in again," she held her forefinger and middle finger in front of her left eye in a V shape and smiled eagerly.

"Cool," said Naru, "so, when do we leave?"

"What do you mean 'we?'" Rei asked.

"Well, I'm going with you of course," said Naru.

"The hell you are!" said Mako.

"You can't come with us," said Ami, "no offense, but you have no powers, Naru."

"You wouldn't be able to help," said Michru, "only hinder our efforts to battle the darkness. I'm sorry, but you would just get in our way."

"But I want to help," Naru insisted, "I know I'm just a regular girl, but I know I can help somehow. I just want to be able to do something."

"You can," said Usagi as she placed a comforting hand on her friends' shoulder, "Naru-chan, you can stay here and wish us the best."

"Is that all?" a slightly offended Naru asked.

"That," said Usagi, "and think of an excuse for my parents and brother."

"Oh, I've already got one in mind," said an eager Naru, "I've got this covered."

"What are you going to tell Usagi-chan's family?" Mina asked, "something scandalous?"

"I'm not giving away anything," said Naru, "you guys had your secrets, now I have one of my own," she looked at Usagi with serious but sad eyes, "just promise me that you'll stay safe, you and the others."

"I promise, Naru-chan," said Usagi, "we will come back, I promise."

"And I promise to pray for you," said Naru, "I'll keep you in mind and heart all the time." With that she hugged Usagi, then said goodbye to all the Sailor Senshi and Mamoru.

She then said goodbye to Roxas, Naminé, Will, Kirjava, Alice and Jasper, "it was really nice meeting you. Good luck!" and with that she ran out of the area.

"There goes an outstanding individual," said Jasper.

"All persons are outstanding," said Alice, "depending on what they do with their lives."

"I'm sure we've got a lot to talk about," said Kirjava, "but right now we have work to do elsewhere."

"I agree," said Roxas. He then held up the crystal. It flashed and a portal appeared, "next stop, Twilight Town."

* * *

><p><strong>…The Dungeons…New Hollow Bastion…<strong>

"Something's wrong," said Nessie, "or maybe something's finally going right."

"What do you mean?" Lyra asked.

"There's a pattern to Xorat and Kiraxi's actions," said Nessie, "based on the time between when they brought one of us here."

"It wasn't long between captures," said Violet, "they're tenacious, I'll give them that."

"Then why haven't they brought the seventh and final princess of heart already?" Nessie asked, "if they're so powerful, what's taking them so long with the new girl?"

"Something must have happened," said Sara, "either they're being delayed, or…"

"Or they've failed," said Pan.

"I think that sounds right to me," said Miley.

"Then our friends have made a stand," said Nessie, "they've held the enemy back, and are getting ready to go on the offensive."

"Then we've got to figure out how to get out of here so we can help them when they come," said Victoire, "we've reasoned that what the enemy have done here is similar to something that happened in the past of my world."

"You told us how your family played a vital role in thwarting an invasion of robotic aliens," said Sara.

"Technomancers," said Victorie, "cybernetic beings with organic brains, hell bent on destroying all magic in the cosmos."

"But your family and those Meta Humans, The Ramblers," said Violet, "they and more wizards all teamed up and blew up the alien ship, wish I could have been there."

"Haven't you fought aliens on your world?" Sara asked.

"No," said Violet, "not yet, but other Supers have thwarted alien invasions, back before my mom and dad got married."

"Anyway," said Victoire, "the Technomancers used similar detainment cells that could disrupt magic to the point that hardly any spells could be cast. These cells were constructed out of, I believe it was called Uridium."

"The same stuff that's been disrupting my reading the Alethiometer!" said Lyra, "I should have realized it already!"

"What are the odds that Gideon got the idea of this anti-magic cell from the Technomancers?" Sara asked.

"I wouldn't put it past Gideon," said Nessie, "but how does it help us?"

"I'm getting to that," said Victoire, "now, there's one Rambler, Andrew Carpenter, who has more than his fair share of problems. But his disadvantages are balanced by incredible advantages, including being an outstanding cook, rivaling my grandmother Molly."

"So we'll invite him for Thanksgiving," said Violet, "but how does that help us?"

"Another of his talents was in explosives," said Victoire, "while the Uridium cells deprives wizards of their powers, and Meta humans with physical powers, they didn't effect Meta humans with naturally enhanced minds, such as Andrew Carpenter. His other talents were innate understandings of mechanics and explosives. He discovered that the Uridium cells were being charged with a form of energy that was almost undetectable by conventional means, the energy was coming from a power generator.

"Andrew then put together a makeshift bomb and blew the power generator up. Without the energy charge, the Uridium cell was rendered powerless."

"So the cell is being charged with a similar device," said Sara, "but where is it?"

"Andrew found it back on the Technomancer ship," said Victoire, "another talent of is involves enhanced hearing. He put his ear to the cell wall and heard an almost inaudible hum that was the power generator."

"Then we have been doing this all wrong," said Nessie as she stood up, "we've been feeling the walls for the source of the energy sapping field, when the source is the walls themselves."

"And the walls are being powered by a generator," said Lyra, "one that we'll have to destroy somehow."

"we'll worry about that later," said Nessie as she walked to the wall, "right now I want to focus on finding it."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Violet asked.

"I'll be alright as long as you guys stay close to me," said Nessie, "just make sure that I don't fall down," she placed her ear to the wall, "I may have lost my strength, but my senses are just as strong. I couldn't feel the source of the field, but I'll be damned if I can't hear the power generator."

* * *

><p><strong>…The Rebel Base…The World That Never Was…<strong>

"So that's how you're going to get Nikolai and Katarina here," said an astonished Rakel as she saw an elaborate device being brought into the room, "but…I thought that they were all destroyed with the fall of the old empire."

"They were all rendered useless when the empire fell," said Falkon as the device was hooked up to a power generator, "but during our exile and nomad period, our remaining scientists have labored in secret to try and resurrect a small part of the old world."

"But what is it?" Pete asked as he looked at the device.

"It's a Transmat unit," said Reddik, "capable of transporting any form of matter from one point in space to another." He looked at Falkon and Tylek, "you're going to T-Mat Nikolai and Katarina from their quarters to here."

"Which we'll do now," said Falkon, "our spies tell us that their wedding is being pushed forward and right now they're in the middle of rehearsing the ritual," he clapped his hands together and smiled eagerly, "let's shake things up for their families, shall we? Activate the T-Mat!"

"Scanning," said Tylek as he programmed the device, "I'm locating Nikolai and Katarina…yes, I've found them. Locking onto their bio-signatures…lock confirmed! Transporting now!" he pressed a series of buttons.

With a double flash of light Nikolai and Katarina appeared. They both were dressed in elaborate black and white robes, and both looked highly confused.

"What is this?" Nikolai demanded.

"What's going on?" Katarina asked, "is this some sort of sick joke?"

'It's no joke," said Tylek, "I wish it were, but it's as serious as things can get."

"Wait, I know you," said Nikolai, "you worked for my mother."

"And I worked for your mother, Lady Katarina," said Falkon.

"You already know us," said Reddik, while Ralek nodded in agreement.

"You!" snapped Nikolai, his face twisted with rage at Reddik and Rakel, "traitors!"

"Cowards!" snapped Katarina, "you ran away, leaving me to be forced to be married to this overbearing jerk! And in these horribly bland robes no less."

"I'm not happy to be married to you, you emptyheaded dipstick!" snapped Nikolai, "and I'm not happy to be in these robes either."

"Hey! We're not happy about being here either," said Ralek.

"Then why did you return?" Nikolai asked, "to be judged for your crimes?"

'I hope they give the two of you the axe," said Katarina.

"We're here because without us," said Reddik, "our entire race will be extinct."

"Liar!" said Nikolai, "you'd say anything to save your sorry hides!"

"They're telling' the truth!" said Pete, "honest!"

At the sight of Pete, Katarina's face brightened, "Fluffy!" she shouted with joy, "I knew you'd come home!" she then rushed towards Pete with her arms outstretched, ready to embrace him in a bone crunching hug.

"Oh no," said a terrified Pete, "no! Not again!" he then backed away from Katarina, "you keep away from me you crazy girl!"

"Enough!" snapped Falkon, "now is not the time for idle tomfoolery!"

"Then do explain yourself, you common worm," said Nikolai, "what is so important that would merit my abduction, while also involving these traitors?"

"The end of not only our species," said Falkon, "but perhaps the end of existence itself."

"Our seers have prophecies that if our people do not take part in the battle that is to come," said Hektor, "either on the side of darkness or light, then both sides will fall to destruction. It will be the end of everything."

"What?" Katarina asked, "but what about Maleficent? Won't she do anything to help us?"

"Our people have been cast aside for Gideon and his demons," said Falkon, "Katarina, while you and Nikolai were being coerced into marriage by the nobles, you have been rendered ignorant of events that have been unfolding at a rapid pace."

"Maleficent has rejected us," said Tylek. Just then another Hakonian handed him a printout. He read the paper, "and it seems that Maleficent has rejected the two of you as well. Now she's going to have Xorat and the new Kiraxi mate."

"What are you talking about?" Nikolai asked, "and who is Xorat and Kiraxi?"

"Xorat is the Nobody of Pantyhose Taro," said Falkon, "and Kiraxi is the dark biot of Kairi. Both are extremely powerful, and Maleficent plans to have them mate, all so their offspring could be changed with dark magic in order to make the dark commanders she has been seeking all this time."

"Is that what she had planned for us?" Nikolai asked, "force Katarina and I to have children so they could be mutated into Maleficent's slaves?"

"I think I'm going to be sick?" Katarina said as she clutched her stomach, "I actually liked Maleficent. She was always so nice to me."

"She lied," said Falkon, "there's not an ounce of friendship in Maleficent, nothing good or pure, except pure evil."

"That's what we're trying to do here," said Reddik, "stop Maleficent before her plans ruin everything that exists, and Gideon's plans as well."

"But we can't do it without more help," said Rakel, "we need the nobles for this. All Hakonians, high and low, must come together this one time so that we all can survive and start anew somewhere else."

"Under your leadership, of course," said Nikolai, "I can guess what you are all planning. You want Reddik and Rakel to lead our species."

"That's what Falkon and the others want," said Reddik, "Rakel and I are here only to ensure our people's survival. After that the two of us will go our own way and the rest can figure things out for themselves."

"Sounds like a plan for me," said Katarina, "I'll help save our people, especially if it'll stop the wedding."

"As much as I hate to have to work with you all," said Nikolai, "I'll do it, also to get out of the wedding," he looked at Katarina, "as soon as this is over, I'm never speaking to you again."

"Likewise," said Katarina. They shook hands on it, then they both shook hands with Reddik and Rakel, "now, let's save everything."

"Looks like things are startin' to come together," said Pete.

"Indeed," said Hektor, "but wheather or not we can succeed in this venture remains to be seen. But now that we have Katarina and Nikolai with us, our chances have improved."

"It's a step forward," said Falkon, "there's many more to go, but we're moving in the right dirrection."

"If only we had a better map of what is to come," said Tylek.

* * *

><p><strong>…The Old Mansion…Twilight Town…<strong>

"How soon until the others get back?" Sora asked as he, Riku, Tess, Edward and King Mickey walked outside.

Just then a portal opened up and from it emerged the group sent to Dream Valley; Donald, Goofy, Bella, Jacob and the wolves. Also with them was David, Denise, Lance, Nate and Ranma.

"Hi, guys," said Sora.

"Hi yourself," said Lance.

"Bella," said Edward, "Jacob."

"Hi, Edward," said Bella as she and her husband embraced.

"It was awful, Sora," said Donald, "those maniacs, they beat us again."

"Them loony ticks took Sara," said Goofy.

"It's my fault," said Ranma in a depressed tone, "if I hadn't focused on Pantyhose Taro, I mean, Xorat, if I hadn't made him chase after me so I could fight him, I could have been there to protect Sara."

"That's not true," said Denise, "things would have been much worse if you hadn't drawn that Nobody away. It's that faux Kairi that kicked our asses."

"She seemed stronger than before," said Jacob, "but from what Ranma told us, he was able to fight Xorat to a standstill."

"I hurt him," said Ranma, "but it wasn't enough. I wasn't strong enough."

"We all weren't strong enough," said Lance.

"But we can get stronger," said Nate, "we'll find a way to get stronger."

"How?" David asked, "we gave it our all but that evil bitch still creamed us."

"But we almost had her on the ropes," said Jacob, "we could have won, but then she blasted us with those dark flames of hers."

"The key is to defeat her before she powers up her ultimate attack," said Edward, "if we can just disable her before that…"

Just then another portal opened up and from it emerged the group sent to Earth; Hayner, Pence, Olette, Emmet and Rosalie. With them was Lilly, Oliver, Jackson, Jake, Robbie Ray, Adam, all of The Neon Knights and Akane.

"Sora," said Hayner, "we…we failed."

"Those two maniacs took my daughter," said Robbie Ray, "and I want to know what's going to be done to get her back, dang flabbit!"

"First thing's first, Mr. Stewart," said Adam, "I believe some of us have a lot of catching up to do," he walked up to Sora, "how are you, my friend?"

"I've been better," said Sora, "you? How are things with you and Shampoo?"

"Pretty good actually," said Adam, "we haven't actually discussed marriage yet, but…"

Ranma!" exclaimed Shampoo as she tackled said pigtailed martial artist. She clung to his neck, nuzzling her head against him like a cat, "Shampoo missed _arien _so much!"

"Get off of him!" snapped Ukyo as she irately pulled Shampoo off of Ranma, "I'm the one he wants!" she then jumped onto Ranma and embraced him lovingly, "I missed you so much, Ranma honey."

"You tramp!" snapped Kodatchi as she pulled Ukyo off of Ranma, then grabbed him lovingly, "I'm the one who resides in his heard, right, Ranma darling?"

"Ranma, you bastard!" snapped Ryoga, "I'll kill you!"

"Not if I kill him first!" said Mousse.

"The honor of slaying the fiend Ranma shall be mine!" said Tatewaki.

"AHEM!" said Julia, Kyle, Felicia, Ian, Jean-Louise and Adam, all of them looking very cross at their partners.

The six from Nermina suddenly looked very sheepish as they realized how irrational they were behaving. One by one they apologized to Ranma, then to their partners.

"Well, that was exciting," said Lilly.

"Actually," said Ranma, "I'm used to it."

"You're used to these guys either irrationally in love with you or want to murder you?" Lance asked, "I thought you were making those stories up."

"He's not lying," said Akane, "we all were guilty of being idiots. Out of all of us from Nermia, Ranma was the sanest of them all," she looked at Ranma, "hey."

"Hi," said Ranma, "how's things going?"

"Pretty good," said Akane, "the dojo's thriving again, and both our fathers have been unnervingly quiet."

Not my dad," said Ranma, "I just know he and your dad still want us to get married."

"Why are ya'll standing around jabbering like blue jays?" Robbie Ray asked, "my little girl is still out there and those psychos are doing who knows what to her."

"You think you're suffering?" Denise asked, "my best friend Sara has also been taken, and before we left Dream Valley, we had to tell Sara's family what happened. Megan and Malcolm, they didn't take it very well."

"They practically yelled our heads off," said Nate.

"Maybe you shouldn't have told them," said Oliver, "no news is good news after all."

"We couldn't lie to Sara's parents," said Lance, "and who are you anyway?"

"We're Miley's best friends," said Lilly, while Oliver nodded in agreement.

"I'm her brother," said Jackson, "and I'm just here for moral support."

"As if you had any morals," Jake muttered, "I'm Miley's boyfriend, and I'm going to do whatever I can to help get her back."

"Same with me," said Ranma, "I'll do whatever has to be done to save Sara, and I'll kill anyone or anything that stops me."

"Then we'll all work together," said Adam, "all of us, so save not only our friends, but all of existence from the darkness."

Just then a third portal opened, and from it emerged Roxas, Naminé, Will, Kirjava, Jasper, Alice, Usagi, Mamoru and all of the Sailor Senshi.

"Guys!" said Sora, "Usagi! You're safe."

"Of course I'm safe," said Usagi, "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

"I mean you weren't taken," said Riku, "that's incredible."

"How'd you do it?" Tess asked, "how'd you beat back the maniacs?"

"First things' first," said Ami, "introductions." She and the other Senshi introduced themselves to all the new members of the gathering. After a few minutes everyone was finally familiar with each other.

"Before we go any further," said Riku, "Tess and I got our Keyblades back."

"That's wonderful!" said Bella.

"Fantastic," said Olette.

"How'd you do it?" Roxas asked.

"They had some mental trauma that needed closure," said Edward, "but I haven't been able to figure out what's happening with Sora's mind."

"But how did you guys beat Xorat and Kiraxi?" Emmet asked.

"We didn't just defeat her," said Jasper, "we destroyed her."

"You killed the evil bitch?" Nate asked.

"Well, tell us how, for crying out loud!" said Kyle.

"It wasn't easy," said Usagi, "but my friends and I all worked together and we destroyed her."

"We did have one advantage," said Rei, "the biot was a drug addict."

"That's right," said Pence, "she did take some sort of drug that made her stronger."

"Well she completely flipped out on it," said Mina, "it messed her up so much that we were finally able to finish her off. Right, Mako-chan? Mako-chan?"

"Oh dear," said Michru as she saw that Mako was looking at first Hayner, then Jake, then Jackson, then Oliver, Nate, Lance, David, Ranma, Emmet, Edward and all the male members of the Neon Knights.

"She's got that look in her eye again," said Haruka.

"Alright," said an annoyed Rei, "which of them looks like your old Sempai?"

"All of them," said Mako.

Just then a fourth portal opened up.

"Are we expecting anyone else?" Tess asked.

"I don't know," said Sora, "I don't know."

**The end of chapter 6.**

Next chapter finds Sora, Riku and Tess meeting up some new heroes, then everyone has to decide who will be the overall leader of the grand campaign to free the realms from the darkness. Meanwhile, the Hakonians continue to plan their strategy, while meeting up with a hero long thought lost, while Aiden and his time traveling friends learn of the true evil in the past. Reviews will b rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	7. Chapter 7: The Heroic Gathering

Last time found our heroes arriving in the other Tokyo and joining with The Sailor senshi. A plan was conceived where Mina would impersonate Usagi, thereby fooling Xorat and Kiraxi. All was going according to plan when Mina accidentally revealed her true identity and starting the fight. Once again it seemed that the two psycho villains would win, but circumstances conspired against Kiraxi as she lost her jet injector. Already insane and even more so by the drugs, the vile biot, deprived of the primary means of getting her X-35 fix, drank the last of her drugs and went completely berserk. Maleficent, seeing that Kiraxi was no longer a viable asset, decided to cut the vile copy lose and make another one. Our heroes and allies then combined their powers to destroy Kiraxi.

Meanwhile, Nessie and the other princesses continued to search for a way out of their captivity, to no avail as of yet, while Nessie's thirst continued to get worse.

Elsewhere in the past, Aiden went with the rebel Hakonians to infect the Supreme Computer Core with a virus that would give the rebels control of The Hakonian Empire, but one of the rebels turned out to have his own agenda and took control of the Computer Core himself, while the insidious Enforcement Bureau waited outside to move in for the kill.

Back with Sora and the others, they soon were reunited with their friends whom went to protect the princesses of heart. With them were all their friends and allies from the different worlds. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 7: The Heroic Gathering**

Just then a fourth portal opened up.

"Are we expecting anyone else?" Tess asked.

"I don't know," said Sora, "I don't know."

From the portal emerged Mr. Incredible, Elastiwoman, Speed Star, and several other young men and women dressed in masked costumes, most of them heavily muscled, signifying that they had physical super powers, while a few others seemed to have mental super powers.

"This can't be the right place," said Elastawoman, "we were told that Violet was taken to a world of darkness."

"This place is anything but dark," said Mr. Incredible.

"Who are you people?" Sora asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Speed Star asked eagerly. He then ran up to Sora so fast that it was almost he was teleporting, "we're supers!" he then ran up to Riku, "and we're pretty fantastic."

"Quit showing off, son," said Mr. Incredible, "we're not here to make friends."

"We had that portal opened up so we could rescue your sister," said Elastawoman.

"A member of your family was taken?" Sora asked.

"Our daughter," said Mr. Incredible, "she was abducted by two maniacs."

"A crazy man with crimson energy beams and a crazy girl with black fire?" Riku asked, "wielding a black sword?"

"That's the guys who took Shielda!" said Speed Star.

"Well they took my daughter as well," said Bella.

"And my girlfriend," said Ranma.

"And my girlfriend too," said Jake.

"And my ex-girlfriend," said Will.

"We managed to keep my girlfriend safe," said Mamoru, "but it wasn't an easy battle."

"Tell us everything," said Elastawoman, "anything at all that can help us find my daughter."

"First thing's first," said Edward, "we should introduced ourselves to you, Helen Parr, and your husband and son, Bob and Dash."

"How'd you know our secret identities?" Mr. Incredible demanded.

"My husband can hear thoughts," said Bella, "we're all talented in our own ways."

"We're starting off on a bad note," said Riku, "we're all in the same boat, so let's all work together," he held out his hand to Mr. Incredible, "I'm Riku."

"Nice to meet you, Riku," said Mr. Incredible.

Several minutes went by as Sora and the others got to know the newcomers.

"Now that we're all familiar with each other," said Edward, "I believe that we need to discuss a strategy."

"Wait one second here," said Lance, "who put you in charge here?"

"I was merely stating a fact," said Edward.

"So that gives you the right to claim leadership, boyo?" Kyle asked.

"If anyone should lead," said Kodatchi, "it should be Ranma."

"What?" Ranma asked, "I can't be the leader."

"Why not?" Ukyo asked, "you've lead us before."

"That was on Earth," said Ranma, "against a bunch of crazies using weird styles of martial arts. This is completely different. I…I just can't be the leader."

"Then I claim leadership!" said Tatewaki boldly in an overdramatic tone, "I, the blue thunder, the rising star, shall lead our forces against the darkness and restore light to the realms!"

"We're not in that serious a peril yet," said Ian, "and what makes you so special that you can be in charge? I think I'd do a pretty darn good job as the boss."

"Not this year," said Nate, "the leader should be someone who knows what they're doing."

"Well that leaves you out," said Denise.

"If I could get my point cross," said Ami, "I believe that Usagi-chan should be the leader."

"What?" Usagi asked in a surprised tone, "are you serious, Ami-chan?"

"Perfectly serious," said Ami.

"I agree," said Mina, "Usagi-chan would make a great leader."

"You held us together through good times and bad, Usagi-chan," said Mako, "and you've always been there for us when we needed you."

"I personally had my doubts about you," said Haruka, "but you proved me wrong time and again. You should be the leader, Usagi."

"I always knew she had what it took," said Sensuna.

"You're making a really big mistake," said a frantic Usagi, "just because I've done a good job leading the sailor Senshi, doesn't mean I can be the one in charge here." She looked at Mamoru, "back me up on this, Mamo-chan."

"Well, I believe that you can lead us all, Usako," said Mamoru, "but, whatever you wish to do, I'll support you all the same."

"Can I just…" said Sora.

"Hey!" said Speed Star, "if anyone's gonna lead us all, it's gonna be my dad."

"Whoa, not me," said Mr. Incredible, "I'm no leader, not for something this big anyway."

"But you brought us all together to begin with, Mr. Incredible," said one of the supers, "you showed us the ropes."

"I only got you kids started," said Mr. Incredible, "the rest you did all on your own."

"Can I just…" said Sora again, but again he was interrupted by Nate.

"I ought to be the leader!" said Nate.

"I should lead!" said Tatewaki.

"You're delusional as ever," said Akane, "I vouch Ranma."

"_Now _you support me, Akane?" Ranma asked.

"Usagi-chan should lead!" said Rei.

"_Now _you support me, Rei-chan?" Usagi asked.

"My dad should be the leader!" said Speed Star, "or my mom."

"Don't you drag me into this, young man," said Elastawoman.

Within seconds the assembled heroes soon began arguing among themselves as the groups from Dream Valley, Malibu, Metroville and Tokyo all tried to either promote themselves or one of their friends as the leader.

It wasn't long before even the Cullens were involved in the argument, with Rosalie and Emmet vouching for Edward, while Alice vouched for Jasper, Jasper vouching for Jacob, Jacob and Edward refusing and Bella vouching for Edward, Jacob and Jasper, saying that all three of them should lead jointly.

"Things are seriously getting out of hand here," said Riku.

"Any ideas on how to get them all to just sit down and shut up?" Tess asked.

"I'm trying," said Sora, "but no one is listening to me."

"We're listening, Sora," said Goofy.

"We think you should be the leader," said Donald.

"Oh, don't you start on this too," said Riku.

Just then Young Watari walked up to Sora, Riku and Tess, "well, this is a fine mess we're in," said Young Watari as he looked at all the arguing heroes.

"You gonna vouch for someone to lead?" Tess asked, "I might as well put my name on the list."

"You think you can be the leader?" Riku asked.

"If it would stop everyone from yelling their lungs out," said Tess, "then yeah, I'd lead."

"Well before you take the oath of office," said Young Watari, "I suppose you should know that another portal has opened up, this one over at The Tram Common."

"Another portal?" Riku asked.

"This is turning into one big party," said Tess.

"Ansem and The King have gone to meet the new comers," said Young Watari, "they called me, saying that most of the new arrivals are waiting back in town, while a few are coming here with Ansem and King Mickey. They'll be here in a few minutes or so."

"I don't think it's a good idea to have anyone else here right now," said Riku, "at least until things calm down a bit."

"Too late," said Young Watari as he indicated Ansem and King Mickey approaching the area, with two individuals; Harry Potter and Teddy Lupin.

"Sora!" said King Mickey, "I'd like you to meet a wizard from another world. Harry Potter."

"Hello," said Harry as he shook Sora's hand, then looked at all the arguing heroes, "I'm guessing that this isn't normal for this world."

"Nothing's normal with the worlds right now," said Sora.

"You guys seem to be taking the fact that you're on another world really well," said Riku.

"I've traveled to other worlds before," said Harry, "I've seen a lot."

"I haven't seen as much," said Teddy, "but I'm ready to do what has to be done to get Victorie back."

"His girlfriend is one of the princesses of heart," said King Mickey, "and she was also taken by the maniacs."

"And they took Mr. Incredible's daughter as well," said Tess, "the enemy has six now."

"Which means they'll be coming for Usagi soon," said Riku.

Just then Emmet looked around in shock as he sniffed the air, "wait a second, I smell something dangerous."

"He's right," said Alice, "I smell it too."

"What is it?" Ranma asked, "what's so smelly for you?"

"Werewolf!" said an outraged Edward, "there's a real lycanthrope here!" he then pointed an accusing finger at Teddy Lupin, "him!"

"What?" Sora asked in confusion. He looked at Teddy, "you're a werewolf? A real, howling at the moon werewolf?"

"He doesn't look like one to me," said Jacob.

"Trust me, he is one of those bloodthirsty, disease spreading monsters," said Edward.

"I beg your pardon, sir!" said Teddy as he stepped forward, "I'm only half werewolf, and I don't carry the pathogen that causes lycanthropy."

"It's true," said Harry, "he was examined by both wizard healers and muggle doctors. He is not a carrier."

"And I have full lucidity when I transform at the full moon," said Teddy, "and my Metamorphmagus side allows me to change my entire appearance at will," he then made his hair slightly longer and spiky, then lengthened his nose to a point, "see?"

"He's still dangerous," said Rosalie, "all werewolves are dangerous killers."

"I said that I was only half a werewolf and had full control of myself when I transform," said Teddy in an annoyed tone, "the rest of me is all wizard."

"As am I," said Harry, "a wizard, and Teddy is my godson who has lost his one true love at the hands of the enemy, whom I have been informed is called Gideon Graves."

"That's the guy," said Sora, "and there's also this incredibly evil sorceress, Maleficent."

"The so called mistress of all evil," said Harry, "I've also been told of her," he gave Harry a reassuring smile, "well, I can tell you that I've faced a few villains claiming to be ultimate forces of evil."

"That's right," said Teddy, "Harry, he's the one who killed Voldemort."

"So you _are _the one I head about," said Young Watari, "the one L kept talking on and on, about a young wizard who accomplished so much before he was 18."

"I'm not that special," said Harry.

"Don't count yourself so short," said Teddy, "after all the stories I've heard about you, like how you mastered the Patronus charm when you were 13, how you won the Triwizard tournament a year later, then organized Dumbledore's Army, and my favorite, killed a basilisk when you were 12."

"With that sword no less," said Harry, indicating Teddy's sword. Teddy then drew the blade and showed it to everyone.

"Then that blade is indeed the fabled Sword of Godric Gryffindor," said Ansem, "a sword that can absorb magical properties and make itself stronger."

"Sweet," said Tess as she looked at the sword.

"Can we get back to what's most important here?" Emmet asked, "that's a werewolf!" he pointed at Teddy.

"Well you're a vampire!" said Teddy, "where I come from, vampires keep to themselves and don't meddle in things, least they risk getting a steak through the heart."

"It's not like we had a choice in this," said Bella, "your girlfriend was taken, so was my daughter. If you can help get everyone back, then I'd welcome your help. And wooden steaks can't kill us."

"Bella," said Edward, "this is a real werewolf, not at all like Jacob."

"Well Jacob's a werewolf too," said Denise.

"I'm a shape shifter," said Jacob, "but still…"

"There's still the issue of who's going to be the big leader here," said Kyle.

"Do you have to bring that up again?" Julia asked, "and anyway, the leader should be Adam."

"Not me," said Adam, "but I believe that…"

"Ranma should be the leader!" said Lance.

"Usagi-chan should lead!" Mina insisted.

"Edward should lead!" said Alice insisted.

This lead to the assembled heroes to begin their heated argument again.

"We're never going to get anything done at this rate," said Riku, "we'll never rescue Kairi, Aiden and the others."

Sora was about to say something, when a new person walked into the area. He was in his mid 30's, tall and well muscled, with short brown hair and brown eyes, and an expression of a man who had been through hell and back several times over. He wore a tan jacket over a gray shirt and blue jeans and brown boots. Around his waist was a gun belt, with a .45 colt revolver in the holster.

"What's going on here, Harry?" the man asked, "I could hear the shouting all the way back in town."

"The heroes are arguing over who should be in charge, Max," said Harry. He then looked at Sora, Riku and Tess, "this is a very good friend of mine."

"Max Kildare," said the man with the revolver as he shook hands with Sora, Riku and Tess, "and you're the Keyblade Wielders."

"How'd you know that?" Tess asked.

"Some of my friends are really powerful psychics," said Max Kildare, "some of them able to see what's going on, even as far away as other worlds."

"The same thing with us wizards," said Harry, "while I completely failed Diviniation, a few of my friends are pretty good at it. Both wizards and meta humans have been aware of what's been happening in The Realms of Light for some time now."

"Meta humans?" Riku asked.

"The next step in human evolution," said Max Kildare, "at least on my world. I may not look the part, but I'm known among my peers, and my enemies, as The Indestructible Man."

"Indestructible how?" Tess asked.

"It's nearly impossible to kill me," said Max, "I've been shot, stabbed, electrocuted, crushed, burned, partially melted, strangled, poisoned, dismembered, partly decapitated, partly shredded, and a lot of other really painful and gruesome methods of death that my advanced healing factor brought me back from the point of no return. You could throw me off of the tallest building in the world and after I slam to the ground in a bloody pulp, in a few minutes I've pulled myself together and walk away without a care in the world."

"So you really can't die?" an amazed Tess asked.

"If your body heals every time you're hurt in any way," said Riku, "then your physical strength increases as well."

"Right in one," said Max, "I'm also the strongest man on my world, but there are others who are better fighters, and better shooters than I am," he then looked at the arguing heroes, "is this going to take long? We really don't have time for this."

"I don't know if we can get them to stop arguing," said Riku, "the only way I can see them stopping is for someone to be made the leader."

"It looks like they're not going to agree any time soon," said Tess.

Roxas and Naminé then walked over, "it's awful, Sora," said Roxas, "they just won't stop shouting at each other. They're just too heated up and stressed out over everything that's happened to listen to reason."

"And all the while Kairi and Aiden are still in the darkness," said Naminé, "I have the feeling that Aiden isn't in as much trouble, but with Kairi, every minute we delay brings her one step closer to a fate worse than death."

"I have a solution to the problem," said Max, "let Harry lead."

"Hang on!" exclaimed Harry, "I can't be in charge here."

"Why not?" Teddy asked, "you lead the D.A. And you are still the head Auror for the British Ministry of Magic."

"I still don't want to be completely in charge," said Harry, "I said that I would be responsible for all the wizards for this mission, but to be the overall leader, not me. Why don't you do that, Max? be the overall leader?"

"I don't think so," said Max, "I may still be the leader of The Ramblers, but this is still way bigger than me," he looked at Sora and the others, "that's my team of Meta Humans. I've been leading them since 1999, almost 20 years now on my world, and I believe I've done a pretty good job doing it, considering everything that's happened, but I'd rather not take on any more responsibilities than I already have."

"The same with me," said Harry, "I also have my fair share of responsibilities."

"Why not Sora?" Donald asked as he and Goofy walked over, "why can't Sora be the leader?"

"Me?" Sora asked, "but…no, I can't be the leader."

"Sure you can, Sora," said Goofy, "you've got them leadership quantities."

"That's qualities, ya big palooka," muttered Donald.

"But Goofy's right," said Riku, "you've never lead us wrong before, you've never given up, even when things seemed their darkest. Back when we had just defeated Xemnes and we were trapped in the realm of darkness, I was willing to just lay down and wait for the end to come, but you kept us both going, and we found our way back to the light. You saved both our butts that day."

"And you saved my sorry hide as well," said Tess, "I was on the verge of self destruction back on Metamore. If you and the others hadn't showed up when you did, I most likely would have gotten myself into such a sticky situation that there was no way I could have gotten out. Not to mention that your being there saved The Guardians, Elyon and the entire kingdom as well.

"Don't forget Aiden," said Roxas, "you saved him from himself as well. And I wouldn't exist if it weren't for you."

"Same with me," said Naminé, "and what about Kairi? You saved her heart as well. And how many times have you saved the worlds in the realms?"

"A few times," said Sora, "but I just can't be the leader of all of us. I still don't have my Keyblade back."

"You lost your Keyblade?" Max Kilddare asked, "I was told about them, that they can't be separated from their chosen wielder."

"They're like wands," said Harry as he indicated his wand, while Teddy also held up his, "they choose the wizard."

"We got our Keyblades back," said Riku, "Edward can help you get yours back, Sora, I know it."

"You have what it takes, Sora," said King Mickey, "I believe in you, I always have."

"I can't be the leader," said Sora, "the responsibility…I…"

"A very wise man once told me that those best suited for power are those who don't want it," said Harry, "I too have escaped death several times, not as many as Max here, but a lot."

"Believe me," said Max Kildare, "cheating death is not easy."

"Well, anyway," said Harry, "I never wanted to do most of what I did. I hate getting into trouble, but trouble always finds me. There's nothing else that I want more than to live a quiet life. I only go meet trouble because I'm needed, and that I know that I have what it takes to make a difference."

"Same with me and my teammates," said Max, "we never wanted the life we have. On our world, people like us, meta humans, technically we don't exist because if the majority of mortals were to know of us, we'd be hated, branded freaks of nature, abominations, and hunted like animals. There's been some progress, in which a few mortals at a time are let in on the secret of our existence, but the rest of the human race just wouldn't accept us for who we are.

"We were given a choice by The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense; live in secrecy and be protected by the BPRD, while they help develop our powers and we use them to fight the forces of darkness, or we can give up our powers and all memories of those powers, and live as mortals.

"I and many others have chosen to use our powers for the greater good of all mankind; mortal, meta human, and even wizard kind. We gave up the chance for a fully normal life, for an extraordinary one. As for me, I was given the option to lead a team of Meta humans, The Ramblers, and you'll meet some of them soon enough. I was asked to lead. At first I didn't want the job, but I realized that I had what it took to be the leader, that it was the right thing to do."

"I also didn't want to be the leader of my friends," said Harry, "but I also knew that it was the right thing to do, despite my doubts, and all in all, I also think I did a good job."

"It's the right thing, Sora," said King Mickey, "you do have what it takes to lead us all."

At that Sora's mind was split into opposing thoughts. On one hand he was flooded with his own doubts; he still was without his Keyblade, he failed to protect Kairi and Aiden, he failed to prevent the enemy from taking Nessie, Lyra, Sara, Miley, Violet and Victorie. He was a failure as a Keyblade Wielder.

But on the other hand he remembered all the times he succeeded. He defeated Maleficent, Xehanort's Heartless, Xemnes and Organization XIII. He saved the lives of so many people on dozens of worlds. He helped defeat four of The League of Evil Exes, and done so much more.

He then realized that even though it was no longer in him, he still held Kairi's heart next to his, and she also had his. Even though they were once again separated by the darkness, they were still connected, and nothing, not Heartless, Nobodies, demons, monsters, villains, not even death itself could break that bond.

Just then Sora felt something deep within his heart, as if something that was lost, or rather just out of sight, had been found. Closing his eyes in concentration, Sora held out his hand and summoned the blue version of Ultima Weapon to his hand.

"You got it back!" said both Riku, Kairi and King Mickey.

"I never really lost it," said a grinning Sora, "it was in me all along."

Just then Edward ran over, leaving the other vampires to still argue. "Of course!" said Edward as he examined Sora all around, "the problem wasn't with your memories, but your emotions. Your subconscious doubts were holding you back. You had to confront those doubts all on your own."

By then Bella, Alice, Jasper, Emmet and Rosalie ran over, followed by Jacob, "what happened?" Jacob asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Alice asked, "Sora's alright now."

"If this isn't a sign that Sora should be the leader of us all," said King Mickey, "then I don't know what is."

"Sora…the leader?" Jasper asked. He looked at Sora, "yes, I can definitely see him wearing that mantle, without the gift of precognition that is."

"Sora," said Alice, "yeah, he's the leader alright."

"Sora," said Bella as she nodded in affirmation.

"Sora," said both Emmet and Rosalie.

"I figured you had what it took," said Jacob, "if you want to be the leader, I'll back you up all the way."

"Well," said Sora, "what are we waiting for? Let's get everyone together so we can come up with a plan."

"There's a hot dog idea," said King Mickey.

"There's still all the other idiots to deal with," said Emmet, indicating the arguing heroes, "they just won't stop yelling at each other."

"Leave that to me," said Max Kildare, "I know how to end an argument," he started walking towards the arguing heroes, with Sora and the others behind them.

"No," said Edward, "we have not met before."

"You talking to me?" Max asked as he looked over his shoulder at Edward.

"He was speaking to me," said Harry. He then looked at Edward, "How'd you know I was going to ask that?"

"He can hear thoughts," said Bella.

"That makes sense," said Harry, "it's just that," he looked at Edward, "you remind me of someone I knew when I was young."

"I can assure you, Harry Potter," said Edward, "I am in no way related to Cedric Diggery. Any resemblance between that person and myself is purely coincidental."

They all stopped a few yards from the arguing heroes.

"What are you going to do?" Tess asked Max.

"It's barbaric, it's what it is." said an annoyed Edward.

"But effective," said Max as he took his .45 colt from the holster at his hip, "and i'll thank you to keep your ears out of my head." He aimed his revolver into the air, pulled the hammer back and pulled the trigger, firing off a shot with an earsplitting bang. He then pulled the hammer back and fired off a second loud shot.

The two near-deafening reports startled all the arguers into silence.

"Damn, man," said Emmet, "what's in those bullets?"

"Something more potent than regular gunpowder," said Max as he holstered his revolver. "Trade secret, mind you. Now anyway," he boldly stepped forward and spoke in a tone that spoke of authority and experience, "My name is Max Kildare, otherwise known as The Indestructible Man, Destructius Maximus, and a lot of other names that are just insults made up by my enemies," he indicated Harry, "this is Harry Potter, otherwise known as The Man Who Lived, also known as The End of the Century Savior."

"I'm just Harry," he said, "a wizard, who's niece was kidnapped by your common enemy."

"And I'm Teddy Lupin," said the half-werewolf wizard, "my girlfriend was the one taken, Victoire Weasley, and I know what you all think about my werewolf half, but I can assure you all, I'm completely in control of my self at all hours of the day, night, even at the brightest of full moons."

"He's telling the truth," said Edward, "I was too blinded, or should I say deafened, by prejudice, to allow myself to seek what is true. I head his thoughts; Teddy Lupin is no threat. In fact, he, and both Harry Potter and Max Kildare, and all their companions, can be great allies to us."

"Well, I'm convinced," said Hayner, "I know that Edward wouldn't lie. If he says that these guys are here to help, then I believe him."

"Same with me," said Olette, while Pence nodded in agreement.

"We're here because our world was violated by the same evil that violated yours," said Max, "we came with several others, wizards and Meta Humans, whom are willing to work with you in order to destroy this evil. However, if you're all so eager to yell your vocal cords out, we'll just go our separate ways and take on Gideon, Maleficent and their forces all by ourselves."

"Are you nuts?" Speed Star asked, "those guys that took my sister are totally insane! They'll crush you like bugs, really small and breakable bugs."

"My friends aren't so fragile as you think," said Max.

Just then several individuals ran into the area, men and women, some of them wearing wizard robes, the others wearing the tan jackets of the BPRD. Most of those wearing Bureau jackets each carried a different firearm. One had a shotgun, another had a minigun, and another had two 9mm pistols.

Among them were Neville, Angelina, Cho, as well as Emery, Clare and Clive.

"What happened, Max?" Clive asked, "we herd your shots!"

"If they're trying anything funny," said Neville, "we're ready for it!"

"It's alright," said Harry, "Max was just getting their attention."

"Well you have it," said Mr. Incredible as he walked up to Max, "I'm one of the strongest, most experienced supers in my world, and I barely held my own against those lunatics."

"Well then," said Max as he unbuckled his gunbelt and tossed it to Clare, whom caught it. "If you doubt me, then try me," he held his arms out, inviting Mr. Incredible to attack, "hit me as hard as you can."

"What?" Mr. Incredible asked.

"Hit me as hard as you can," said Max, "give me your best shot. I won't dodge or block, you have my word of honor."

"You'd better believe it," said Emery, "the word of Max Kildare is his bond."

"Alright," said Mr. Incredible, "you won't dodge or block? Then," he reared his arm back, "take this!" he then punched Max in the face so hard that he knocked Max all the way into the woods. Out of sight, he slammed into a tree with enough force to send the tree crashing to the ground.

"Ooo," said Sora and several others as they winced.

"Did you really have to hit him so hard?" Elastawoman asked.

"He asked me to," said Mr. Incredible.

But then Max emerged from the trees, brushing leaves and splinters from his clothes, "wow!" he said with a grin as he pulled a large splinter from the back of his hand, "that was out of sight." He pulled more splinters from his skin. Some of the splinters were imbedded almost an inch into him, yet when he pulled them out, Max's wounds healed themselves almost instantly with almost no blood spilt.

"I knew there was something off about him," said Alice as she and the other vampires sniffed the air, tasting the trace scent of Max's blood, "that's why I didn't see any visions of him, or the wizards. They're completely different species."

"That's been debated on our world," said one of the men in a tan jacket, one carrying a black medical bag, "it has yet to be proven, but I do believe you're right. Aaron Spartain, M.D., at your service."

"Aaron has been our doctor since before The Ramblers was first assembled," said a woman with short blond hair, "Laura Hurst, Scanner, at your service."

"And the most dangerous of Scanners," said another Rambler, one with short black hair and brown eyes, "but only half as crazy."

"Not as crazy as you, Ty," said Laura Hurst.

"Crazy is often confused with briliant," said the Ramber, Ty, "Tyler Spartan, battle suit engineer, at your service."

"And I'm Violet Baudelaire," said one of the girl Ramblers, one with long brown haire tied back with a brown ribbon, "inventor."

"There are many more with us," said Max, "and many more wizards, and we're ready to get to know you all, but first," he looked at Mr. Incredible, "turnabout is fair play, after all," he then punched Mr. Incredible in the face with an uppercut so hard that the slightly out of shape super hero was launched twenty feet into the air, before landing hard on his back.

"Only 20 feet?" Max asked, "I must be getting soft, I knew I shouldn't have taken that extended vacation to Hawaii."

But then Mr. Incredible got up, rubbing his chin where he was hit, "now that was something. You've really been there, fought the forces of evil."

"Ever since I was a teenager," said Max, "over 20 years with hardly a break."

"I think we've got a lot in common," said Mr. Incredible, "I had to go into retirement, but my family and I are back in action, and ready for more."

"There's still the issue of the argument," said King Mickey, "but I have a solution," he looked at all the assembled heroes and travelers, "Sora has his Keyblade back."

"You got it back?" Ranma asked, "what happened?"

"I just had to deal with my personal doubts," said Sora as he summoned his Keyblade back, "and there it was."

"Sora's back in action too," said King Mickey, "and I believe that he should be our overall leader."

"Are you sure about that?" Pence asked, "I mean, no offense, Sora, but is it a good idea having a kid in charge?"

"Yeah," said Denise, "I don't mean to disrespect my fellow teen heroes, but I think having an adult in charge would be a good idea."

"That may be," said King Mickey, "but Sora has my full confidence. I vouch for him."

"He has my support as well," said Edward, "and my family is with me."

"And he has my support too," said Harry, "my fellow wizards have learned about Sora and the other Keyblade Wielders, and we all believe that Harry has what it takes," at that Neville, Angelia, Cho and the other witches and wizards all nodded in agreement.

"Ditto," said Max, while the other meta humans nodded in agreement as well.

"Well," said Lance, "if so many people believe it, then I believe too. Sora's got my vote."

"And mine," said Denise, while David and Nate nodded in agreement.

"Sora's had my vote from the beginning," said Jacob, while his pack nodded in agreement.

"Same with me," said Ranma.

"If Ranma believes in Sora," said Ukyo, "then so do I."

"As do I," said Ryoga, while Shampoo, Mousse, and Kodatchi nodded in agreement.

"Thou has great friends whom has the most high confidence in you, Sir Sora," said Tatewaki, "thou has my support as well."

"Ours too," said Adam, while Ian, Kyle, Felicia, Julia and Jean-Louise nodded in agreement.

"You'd better believe that I believe in Sora," said Usagi, while Mamoru and the other Sailor Senshi nodded in agreement.

"I think you've got the majority vote, man," said Oliver.

"You'd be crazy to not take the job," said Lilly.

"He'd be crazy to take the job too," said Jackson, "he's done things more nuttier than Aunt Pearl's fruitcake."

"Speaking of which," said Robbie Ray, "you still owe me for taking the last piece of last year's cake."

"You're going to be the leader, Sora," said Roxas, "we won't take now for an answer."

"I didn't say no," said Sora, "I'll do it. Now, let's all put our heads together and figure out how to beat our enemies and rescue our friends." He then shook hands with King Mickey, then with Edward, Harry, Max, and then the other wizards and Meta Humans, getting to know them. At the same time all the other heroes were also getting to know each other better and had begin forming a strategy against the enemy.

* * *

><p><strong>…New Hollow Bastion…<strong>

"So," said Maleficent as she and Gideon observed the gathering outside the Old Mansion, "more foolish heroes have arrived to meet their doom," she smirked, "how pathetic. They all believe they have a chance against the darkness. They will soon realize the folly of their whims."

"Why can't we hear what they're saying?" Gideon asked. Indeed, the image was only that, an image of the assembled heroes getting to know each other, with no sound from it at all. Even more so, the image was slightly out of focus, with random flashes of static appearing on the edges.

"One of the fools have established anti-eavesdropping wards in the area," said Maleficent, "their efforts will be in vain," she raised her staff and cast a spell, "this will end their foolishness," but the image still didn't have any sound.

"So, it won't be that easy after all," said Maleficent. She then cast another spell, but to no avail.

"Well now," said a grinning Maleficent, "there are competent magic users in the newcomers after all. This will be interesting."

"Interesting?" Gideon, "they're trying to stop us from learning what they're doing. I want to know what they're planning."

"It will not matter," said Maleficent, "for soon, I will be ready to crush them all and take the last princess."

"You intend to use the hordes of Heartless to invade Twilight Town," said The Negotiator.

"You'll never get away with it!" said Kairi, whom was looking much healthier after being forced to drink several Full Heals, "Sora's got his Keyblade back! I saw it! He's back, and he'll come and destroy you all!"

"It matters not!" snapped Maleficent, "soon the new Kiraxi will be here. She will receive your power and she will be used to destroy your precious Sora. He could not defeat the first Kiraxi, so shall he fall before the second. And this time, he will die, as well all of your friends!"

"I'll believe it when I see it," said Kairi, "and I see that Sora's got his groove back. You can send a dozen evil copies of me, but Sora and the others will beat them all aback."

"I sincerely doubt it," said Xorat, "I myself shall render him into so many bloody parts, him and the others. With the hordes of Heartless, the heroes will all die."

"I still won't believe it until I see it," said Kairi.

"Then watch as your friends meet their doom!" said Maleficent, "then you shall meet your slow demise as well."

* * *

><p>"I think I found it," said Nessie as she held her ear against part of the cell wall, "I can hear a faint humming. It's only in this one spot, the rest of the wall has no sound, but right here, about two meters inside the wall, if this isn't the generator for the energy field that's sapping our powers, I don't know what is."<p>

"Now we know where it is," said Sara, "but how do we get to it?"

"What'd I give for a can opener," said Violet.

"We've gone over everything in this room," said Lyra, 'we have nothing in which to use as a tool to get to the device."

"And there's nothing to cut ourselves," said Miley, "nothing we can use to give Nessie some of our blood, I mean look at this," she held up a plastic eating utensil, "they're giving us sporks! It's like they don't even trust us."

"I wouldn't trust us," said Sara. She then reached into her pocket and took out a set of keys, "I guess we could try and sharpen these enough for an edge."

"No!" said Nessie, "we've been over this! I'm not taking any of your blood!"

"But you need it," said Miley, "even I'm okay with you drinking my blood."

"I thought we agreed it'd be my blood that Nessie would take,' said Lyra.

"We never decided on that," said Sara, "if anyone's going to have their blood taken, it's mine. I've got plenty."

"So do I," said Violet, "but that doesn't mean that just one of us can be the donor."

"It's not healthy for a person to donate more than a pint of blood at a time," said Victorie, "and only once every few months. I've spent some time around muggle doctors to know that much."

"So why don't we all give some of our blood to Nessie?" Violet asked as she held up a large water jug that was beside the sink, "if five pints of blood can't revive her, what else can?"

"Nothing," Nessie said stubbornly as she sat down and cross her arms, "I'm not taking your blood, and that's the end of it!"

"Who said anything about taking it?" Sara asked as she began scraping the flat ends of two keys together, trying to put an edge on one of them, "we're giving it to you, and we're going to do it."

"What about our different blood types?" Violet asked.

"It doesn't matter," said Nessie, "positive or negative, A, B, AB or O, I can handle it, but I won't drink it."

"You will if we have to force it down your throat," said Sara, "in your weakened condition, I doubt that there's much you can do to stop us if we gang up on you."

"Five on one," said Lyra, "my kind of odds."

"Let me have those keys," said Victoire as she took out her wand, "I believe that I can use this bit of magic to help us."

"Can you?" Miley asked, "this whole place has us weak as the time my Uncle Earl fell off a horse. It took my daddy and three others in order to get Uncle Earl back up, he's so fat," she paused in thought, "and he's still such a nimble dancer, him and Aunt Pearl."

"Nice family you've got," said Sara as she handed the keys to Victoire .

"Mine's more interesting," said Violet.

"Mine's even more interesting," said Victoire, "remind me to tell you about the time Uncle Harry, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione broke into Gringots and escaped on the back of a dragon," she then voiced a spell and her wand produced a weak but definite light that shone on the keys. After a few seconds the light stopped shining, but the keys were glowing feebly, yet still glowed, "this may take a while, but they'll be sharp."

"You really want me to fall off the wagon," said Nessie.

"We want you to stay alive," said Sara, "yes, you'll have to go against what you believe in, but there are some things that transcend beliefs, and your own life is one of those things."

"Face it, Nessie," said Violet, "we're going to save your life, weather you like it or not."

"Why do you guys have to care so much?" Nessie asked.

"We have to care," said Victorie, "we're princesses of heart, it's who we are."

"Well," said Nessie, "if you're going to make me drink your blood, I won't fight you. But I won't enjoy it!"

"Fair enough," said Miley.

"In the meanwhile," said Lyra, "tell us about your family. I know some people who just love hearing about the lives of other people. They happen to be harpies, but if it's true, they'll hear it."

"Well," said Victoire, "I'm not exactly sure what's true and what's been exaggerated, but they certainly interesting. Okay, these stories are about when my Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron and Uncle Harry were in their first year at Hogwarts. Back then, Uncle Harry had only recently learned that he was a wizard, having been raised by a family of the most unreasonable, overbearing and all around unpleasant Muggles there have ever lived, The Dursleys. Anyway…"

* * *

><p><strong>...The Old Mansion...Twilight Town...<strong>

"So you set up a modulating anti-spying ward for the entire world when you got here," said Riku to one of the witches, one Hermione Granger Weasley, "the ward keeps changing so that the enemy can't see or hear us."

"At the most they'll see us," said Hermione, "but not very well. Also, I've set up several defensive shields around the town and here in the house, combined with several early warning wards. If the enemy attempts anything against us, we'll know about it."

"And you did all that yourself?" an astonished Tess asked, "you're one outstanding witch."

"I'm just thorough," said Hermione, "I've been through quite a lot, not as much as Harry, and certainly not as much as Max, but I've learned to be prepared for anything."

"I've also learned to be prepared for anything," said Tess, "I wouldn't have lived as long as I have if I were careless."

"Then how come we surprised you when we met you on Metamore?" Riku asked.

"I never imagined what would have happened," said Tess, "I'm only human."

"You're way more than human," said Sora, "you're just plain awesome."

"You're no slouch yourself, oh noble leader," said Tess in a giggling tone. Ever since everyone agreed that Sora would be in charge, Tess had been teasing him every chance she got.

"Then here's my next command," said Sora, "keep talking with everyone. We've got to come up with a plan."

"We're working on it," said Riku, "everyone is."

It's true that the assembled heroes had been talking with each other, sharing ideas and possible strategies for storming The World That Never Was and eventually the dark castle, focusing on rescuing those whom had been captured and destroying the main villains. But so far no one had been able to agree on any one plan.

Yet everyone was talking and getting along, and for Sora, that was progress.

He walked among the heroes, observing them as they talked and got to know each other better. He saw Neville, Angelina and Cho talk with Lance, Nate, Denise and David, comparing wizard magic with Stand abilities.

Sora then spent several minutes watching Max Kildare sparing with all twelve of the Neon Knights. The leader of the meta humans proved an easy match for the different styles and techniques used by Adam and his fellow martial artists, countering their moves while striking back with moves of his own, all the while giving pointers to the fighters.

"When one finds himself facing overwhelming odds," said Max as he blocked a punch from Ryoga then struck back with a punch of his own, hitting Ryoga in his side and forcing him back, "you have three choices," he dodged a ribbon lash from Kodatchi, then got behind her, grabbed her arm and flipped her over his shoulder, landing her hard on her face, "you can run," he then dodged an elbow strike from Julia, then hit her in the head with an elbow strike of his own, "you can surrender, or you can fight."

"But what if there's no chance of survival no matter what you do?" Adam asked at he delivered a high kick to Max's head, only to be checked and forced back, "if you run, they'll chase and kill you. If you surrender, they'll still kill you. If you fight, they'll overwhelm you and kill you."

"Not much room for options when the only outcome is death," said Mousse as he and Shampoo tried to attack Max from the left and right, with him using his hooked chains and she with her war clubs. Max jumped up just as they were about to hit him, forcing them to collide as he landed nearly beside them.

"There's always options," said Max, "you just need to think outside the box. He then stepped out of the way of a sneak attack from Tatewaki, allowing the flamboyant kendoist to overbalance and fall flat on his face.

Just then Ukyo rushed at Max, swinging her giant spatula at the meta human, "I'll bet you've got plenty of experience doing that," she said as she swung her spatula at Max's head, but kept missing.

"Of course," said Max as he grabbed her spatula from her hands, then turned it on her, lightly tapping her on the head, "my friends and I wouldn't have survived half of our exploits if we didn't come up with some original plans." He then swung a wide roundhouse kick that knocked Kyle, Felicia and Jean-Louise back, "then again, I've seen friends come and go, some retired, others having bought the farm." He then grabbed Ian, whom had been trying to get behind Max, then forced him into a really painful submission hold that had Ian tapping out within seconds. He then helped Ian get back up.

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Adam as everyone stepped back from Max and took a breather, "I can only imagine how horrible it was to see so many of your friends die."

"It's a workplace hazard," said Max, "we all knew the risks involved in working for The Bureau. But we were the best ones for the job, even though we knew we could all be killed horribly. We had bad times, but really good times as well," he looked at Adam, "you remind me of one of my friends who's still alive, it's the glasses.

"Andrew Carpenter, a man with more than his fair share of problems, but he overcame those problems, with no small help from his soul mate, Jill Sparrow."

"Jill Sparrow?" Sora asked, "any relationship to Jack Sparrow?"

"I believe I remember Jill once saying that she was descended from a pirate captain," said Max, "but she was recovering from PTSD at the time, so it might have been a fantasy she invented to cope with her grief. Anyway, Andrew and Jill, two completely different meta humans with no reason for them to even like each other. Andrew's abilities lay with his mind; he's a genius with mechanics and explosives, as well as being the best damn cook in the whole world, without a doubt. Jill's powers are mostly mental as well; she can anticipate danger approaching her and can see in her mind how to overcome it, as well as heightened reactions. She's the best fender I've ever seen, with the potential to be an Olympic champion, and she's also a pretty good surfer as well.

"Jill and Andrew didn't get along at all well at first, but over the years they developed secret crushes on each other, and after overcoming incredible adversity, they proclaimed their love and got married, then adopted three orphans, whom are also meta humans, then had two kids of their own. They're still on my world, but can come if needed."

"You said I remind you of this Andrew," said Adam.

"You kind of look like him," said Max, "it's the glasses. Andrew has the exact same style, but he's a very different person at heart."

"I'll bet," said Adam.

"What about me?" Ian asked Max, "do I remind you of someone you know?"

"No," said Max, "although your fighting style, a mix of karate and judo, is practiced by quite a few meta humans," he looked at Felicia and Julia, "but you two, you definitely remind me of two friend of mine.

"Julie Eckhart, a sniper from New York City, also known as Hawkeye. She could shoot the wings off of a fly at over a mile."

"My nickname from when I was little was Hawkeye," said Julia, "I used to be a pretty good boomerang thrower, before taking up Muay Thai. Did this other Julia, Julie, did she have a scar like mine?"

"She got hers from a propane tank explosion when she was 9," said Max.

"Me too!" said a shocked Julia as she touched her scar.

"What about me?" Felicia asked, "who's my other world twin?"

"Fay Valentine," said Max, "The Butcher of Boston."

"That's my nickname too!" said Felicia, "does she practice Eskrima?"

"No," said Max, "but she was a master with knives, both fighting and throwing."

"What happened to them?" Felicia asked, "are they still here?"

"I doubt meeting one's own self from another world would be a pleasant experience," said Tatewaki.

"It won't matter," said Max, "both Julie and Fay, they died in battle against a horde of demons. They both bought the farm, but took a lot of enemies with them."

"Oh," said Julia in a deflated tone, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Did they have boyfriends, like us?" Mousse asked.

"They were lovers together," said Max.

At that Julia and Felicia looked at each other, then shuddered and looked away.

"I know," said Max, "it's hard to accept, the path not taken."

"What about you?" Sora asked, "what paths did you not take?"

"I do have my regrets," said Max, "but… you'll understand that I wish to keep them to myself."

"I won't ask if you won't tell," said Ranma as he walked up, "now, what about me?"

"You're unique in my eyes and memory," said Max, "but I've seen you in others; the drive to overcome ones own limitations, to grow beyond and reach new heights, and the state of mind that absolutely will not accept the words 'it can't be done.'"

"That's me in a nutshell alright," said Ranma. He then assumed a fighting stance, "now show me what you got!"

"I thought you'd never ask," said Max as he grinned eagerly. He and Ranma then rushed at each other. Ranma delivered his Katchu Tenshin Amaguriken, while Max delivered a similar, rapid punching technique, equal to Ramnas'.

After exchanging hundreds of punches, both Ranma and Max stopped and stood back from each other. The looked at each other in an apprising manner before rushing at each other again, exchanging more punches so fast that the normal eye couldn't see them.

After several more minutes of this, Sora could tell where Ranma and Max differed from each other. Ranma had an edge in speed, while Max clearly had the advantage in striking power and defense. Yet both seemed to have equal amounts of stamina, so the fight looked as if it could carry on for a long time.

But then Ranma and Max jumped away from each other and stood several paces apart.

"Wow," said an impressed Nate, "that was intense."

"I've never seen someone so close to Ranma as a fighter," said Ryoga.

"They're almost equal," said Ukyo, "like brothers."

"One older than the other, but brothers no less," said Tatewaki.

Sora then realized that the fight had drawn a large crowd of the heroes.

Max and Ranma then walked towards each other. Sora and the others guessed that the fight was about to continue, but then Max and Ranma then shook hands, smiling happily at each other.

"As I thought," said Max, "you're outstanding. You can fight the forces of darkness with me any day."

"You ain't no small fry either," said Ranma, "likewise about fighting together."

As the crowd began to disperse, Sora then saw Lilly, Oliver, Jake, Jackson and Robbie Ray sitting off to one side, all of them looking slightly depressed. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Got a pencil?" Robbie Ray asked.

"As if having our world turned upside down with all this darkness stuff," said Lilly, "and with Miley being a princess and having her kidnapped."

"But now that we're here to help rescue her," said Jake, "we've got nothing to do."

"Everyone else here has all these cool super powers and magic and stuff," said Jackson, "and what do we got? Zip, squat and a whole lot of nothing, that's what."

"Oh come on," said Sora, "it's not that bad. You guys can still help."

"But what can we do to help?" Oliver asked, "I mean, we're just normal human beings."

"And some of us are total klutzes," said Jackson as he looked at Lilly.

"And some of us are lazy jerks," said Lilly as she looked at Jackson with crossed eyes.

"Nice comeback," said Jackson sarcastically.

"Nice comeback," said Lilly in a mocking tone.

"Nice comeback," said Jackson in a mocking tone.

The two of them then looked very depressed, "it's not the same without Miley," sighed Jackson.

"I know," said Lilly in a miserable tone, "I miss her."

Just then Laura Hurst walked up to Lilly and Oliver, "I happen to know a way in which you can help."

"How?" Oliver asked, "and will it hurt?"

"You might have a headache for a while," said Laura, "but you'll be able to make a difference. I believe that the two of you have latent psychic abilities."

"What?" Lilly asked, "that's impossible. I'm not psychic."

"Not me either," said Oliver, "I mean, if I had psychic powers, I'd know about them, right?"

"Not necessarily," said Laura, "in the majority of cases, when someone with the potential for psychic abilities, their powers first manifest themselves at the onset of adolescence, roughly around age 13 or 14. Yet this is not always true. Sometimes their powers awaken earlier, as far early as age 5 or 4 even. And sometimes their powers don't awaken until they're almost in their 20's. I believe that your powers are still dormant, and won't awaken until you're a bit older. However, I believe I can help wake up your abilities, and help you gain control over them."

"You really think we have psychic powers?" Oliver asked.

"I've sensed the same potential in over a dozen young men and women since I've joined the BPRD," said Laura, "I've never been wrong before. You two have definitely have dormant abilities."

"I wonder what kind," said Oliver.

"Oh, I'll bet it's mind reading," said Lilly as she smiled eagerly, "I can see myself, hearing other people's thoughts," she then frowned, "but then it'd be really loud all the time, I'd have to keep away from people all the time, and that'd mean giving up my Ollie-pop."

"Like I'd let you spend your life alone," said Oliver as he placed his arm lovingly around her shoulder, "I'll never leave you alone, Lilly-pop."

"Would you mind leaving the sugar talk to the side until I figure out what kind of abilities you have?" Laura asked, "figuring out dormant powers isn't like reading a book. I'll need time to know what's going on in your head, and even more time to wake up your powers."

"Well, we've got noting else to do," said Lilly.

"You think you're bored?" Jackson asked, "I've got nothing at all to do either."

"I beg to differ," said Violet Baudelaire as she walked over, "you look like someone who has experienced in what I have in mind, in terms of fighting the darkness. Tell me, can you use a multitronic, multi-phased, vibration feedback, wireless hand processor?"

"I don't think I can even say that," said Jackson.

"Can you use a Dual Shock controller for a Playstation 3?" Violet Baudelaire asked.

"Of course," said Jackson.

"Same thing," said Violet Baudelaire. "I modified a Dual Shock controller to act as the main control for a battle robot unit that I designed a while back. You'll sit inside the robot and pilot it. You'll also be responsible for firing the robot's weapons."

"What kind of weapons?" Jackson asked.

"Oh, the usual for fighting robots," said Violet Baudelaire, "missiles, lasers, heavy machine guns, all designed and enhanced by magic, making them highly effective against Heartless and Nobodies."

"You had me at 'fighting robot,'" said an eagerly grinning Jackson.

"Now wait just a dang gone minute here," said Robbie Ray, "now I've been pretty tolerant about this whole darkness thing, and I've been okay with my daughter being some sort of princess, but dang it, I draw the line with my son using some sort of fighting robot."

"Oh, come on, dad," said Jackson, "they're giving me this thing so I can help Miley, and I think you can help too," he looked at Violet Baudelaire, "you wouldn't happen to have two robots, would you?"

"Unfortunately I only had time to bring one with me," said Violet Baudelaire. She then looked at Robbie Ray, "however, I believe that another of my inventions would work quite well for you, Mr. Stewart."

"What kind of invention?" Robbie Ray asked suspiciously.

"It's not actually my invention," said Violet Baudelaire, "but one I helped make."

"The design was mine to begin with," said Tyler Spartan, "when I was a kid a I was obsessed with comic books, especially Iron Man. When I got a little older, I used my knack for metallurgy and electronics to construct a prototype of an powered armor suit, and over the years I've made several different models, and with a lot of help from Violet, and several wizards, I created a suit that any mortal can use to fight the darkness."

"MECS," said Violet, "Magically Enhanced Combat System. And I think we can outfit you with a suit of your own, Robbie Ray Stewart."

"You really think so?" Robbie Ray asked, "I'm not the kind of person who resorts to violence."

"Just remember, Mr. Stewart," said Ukyo, "they took your daughter."

"If that's not motivation enough," said Ian, "I don't know what is."

"You're right," said Robbie Ray. He looked at Violet Baudelaire and Tyler Spartan, "let's get me fitted for this battle suit."

"You're going to love wearing a MECS suit," said Tyler, "trust me, it's like wearing your favorite clothes."

"What about me?" Jake asked, "I want to help, but I've no special powers or abilities. Sure, I'm okay at martial artists, but I only know enough for the roles I've played. I'm just an actor."

"That may be," said Professor Ludwig von Drake as he walked up to Jake, "but even the most humble of persons are capable of making a difference," he then walked around Jake, looking him over in an apprising manner, "in fact, you might just be the mortal I've been looking for."

"What are you talking about?" Jake asked.

"My dear boy," said von Drake as he placed his hand on Jake's arm, "I have a scientific proposal that you might just find interesting. How would you like to be transformed into a living suit of armor?"

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, "wait, I've been in enough science fiction/horror movies and TV shows to know where this is going. You're going to mutate me somehow."

"The boy has imagination!" laughed von Drake, "that's good, you understand. Wait, what am I saying? It's not good. You're jumping to conclusions, young man. I'm not going to turn you into a mutated monster. Quite the opposite. You will be given the power to become a living weapon of righteousness; a Tekkaman. Well, are you interested?"

"Yes I am," said an eager Jake, "if it'll help rescue Miley, then I'll be this Tekkaman."

"Are you sure about it?" Scrooge McDuck asked as he walked up to Jake, "this is not an idle experiment you're getting yourself into, lad. The good professor, or rather, mad professor, he's going to use alien technology on you. This Tekkaman he's going to turn you into, it's evil, through and through."

"They're only evil because they were used by evil aliens!" said von Drake, "The Radam were a race of parasites hell bent on universal domination. They had the means to create massive hordes of nearly invincible insectiod monsters, but needed lieutenants whom could think in order to direct their armies. Hence they took humans and changed them into Tekkaman; invested with incredible power, but had their minds so scrambled they lost their humanity, and boy were they lost in mind and heart, I tell you.

"But what I intend to do isn't nearly as extreme. I'll only give the boy the power and the knowledge to use it," he looked at Jake, "Trust me, young man, your mind and heart will still be human, although you're body, your very DNA, will be remade into something incredible."

"I still say you shouldn't do this, lad," said Scrooge to Jake, "you'll never be the same again."

"I thought as much," said Jake, "I'm willing to do what has to be done, so I can help save Miley and the others, but what I want to know is how will I look? Will I still appear human? Or will I never be able to show my face in front of a camera again?"

"Oh, you'll be able to have your picture taken," said von Drake, "what am I saying? You'll be able to appear on stage, screen and television. You'll have the ability to turn your new power on and off at will, just don't overuse it, or you'll go hopelessly insane."

"Fair enough," said Jake, "so, what are we waiting for? Let's get started."

"Excellent," said von Drake, "we'll begin immediately. Oh, before we do start, are you insured?"

"What?" Jake asked, "well, I do have complete health coverage and life insurance, but why do you ask?

"Never mind," said von Drake, "come, there's much to do and so little time to do it in." With that he lead Jake over to the Old Mansion and they walked inside.

"This will end in tears," said Scrooge to Sora, "mark my words, that boy is going to regret this."

"He seems like he wants to do it," said Sora, "and I believe he believes he knows what he's doing."

"I hope you're right, Sora," said Scrooge, "but just to be safe, I want to keep an eye on them."

"That's a good idea," said Sora.

* * *

><p><strong>…The World That Never Was…<strong>

"It's hopeless," said Nikolai after hearing Reddik's latest plan, "if we follow your stratagem, we all die."

"That's impossible!" said Reddik, "I had every factor taken into account. The city has dozens of tunnels and hidden passageways. We can use them to position our forces without been seen, launch several minor attacks designed to draw the enemy's attention away from our real attack."

"An end run straight to the dark castle," said Rakel, "with the majority of Maleficent's forces occupied by the distractions, we'll encounter minimal resistance. We storm the castle, find Maleficent and Gideon, and kill them."

"Makes sense to me," said Katarina, "just so long as we make sure that my mom and the other elders are out of the way. I've got enough connections to get most of the nobles on our side, but my mom, Nikolai's mom and a few others are just too bullheaded to see reason. They'll have to be removed from power, or, if we absolutely have to, kill them."

"And you're okay with that?" Pete asked cautiously, "killing your own mom?"

"It's not unheard of for the younger generation to 'remove' the older in time of extreme circumstances," said Nikolai, "believe me, it would be a pleasure to terminate my mother, we haven't had a good relationship at all."

"Just don't kill my mom," said Katarina, "she may be a bitch, and a whore, and a slut, but we have our memories."

"Right," said Reddik, "kill Nikolai's mom, keep Katarina's mom alive, and do whatever needs to be done with the other bullheads."

"There's still the issue that the plan will fail regardless," said Nikolai, "we are just outmatched."

"That can't be," said Rakel, "so what if Maleficent and Gideon have seemingly endless hordes of demons, Heartless and Nobodies? Even with our reduced numbers, we can handle anything that Maleficent and Gideon throws at us."

"There's still Maleficent's new boy toy," said Katarina, "Xorat. And the Kairi biot, Kiraxi."

"According to our latest data," said Falkon, "Kiraxi has been destroyed, but Gideon has begun growing a replacement that should be ready soon."

"We can handle them too," said Reddik, "Xorat may be an extremely powerful Nobody, possibly more powerful than Xemnes, but he's still a Nobody. All we have to do is destroy Maleficent's staff, specifically the Nobody control ring on the staff, and she'll lose her power over Xorat. In that moment we'll have a brief opportunity, when Xorat find himself confused by his sudden freedom. That's when we destroy him."

"Same thing with Kiraxi," said Rakel, "kill Gideon and his control over Kiraxi will fail, leaving her also confused, and we'll kill her."

"Killing Gideon, Maleficent and the others won't be enough," said Nikolai, "there's the fact that while Gideon is being manipulated by Light Yagami, and we don't want him involved, there's the fact that he Light Yagami, Kira, is himself being manipulated by something far worse."

"What could be far worse than Maleficent, Gideon and Kira?" Pete asked.

"Something so dark, so terrible," said Nikolai, "that our distant ancestors, from before the founding of the old empire, forbidden our entire race from uttering the name."

"What are you talking about?" Reddik asked, "what could this possibly be?"

"The real force behind the destruction of your empire," said a female voice that came out of nowhere. From a shadowy corner emerged a cloaked figure, "the dark power that has been manipulating everything that's happened; Gideon, Maleficent, Xemnes, Xehanort's Heartless, evil Master Xehanort, you Hakonians, even my friends and I, and Sora and his friends have been manipulated too."

"Who are you?" Tylek asked as Falkon, Hektor, Reddik, Rakel, Katarina, Nikolai and the other Hakonians all assumed defensive postures.

"Someone whom has been trapped in this dark realm for far too long," said the woman as she stepped forward, "someone who's ready to fight back into the light."

"Wait," said Pete, "I…I know you. We met before! In Disney Town!"

"I'm glad you remember me, Pete," said the woman as she lowered the hood of her cloak, revealing a girl in her late teens with short blue hair and blue eyes.

"It is you!" exclaimed Pete, "You're Aqua!"

"Aqua?" Katarina asked, "oh wait, now I remember, she was a Keyblade wielder from a while back."

"But that was ten years ago," said Nikolai, "how is it that you haven't aged?"

"I'm more curious as to how you've survived in the realm of darkness for so long," said Rakel.

"It's a long story," said Aqua, "but let's just say that I'm here to help you all."

"How come?" Pete asked, "you're one of the good guys, and we're bad guys."

"True," said Aqua, "but the enemy of my enemy is my friend, or at the very least an ally. I'm here to help you Hakonians bring down Gideon and Maleficent and help you all escape to start over somewhere else."

"But why?" Reddik asked, "why are you helping us? And more importantly, why now?"

"I'm helping because I'm a Keyblade Master," said Aqua, "it's my duty to protect the light and destroy the dark. I've been watching you Hakonians almost ever since you arrived in this realm. I've seen the worst of you, but I've sensed that there is good in you and it can overcome the evil," she looked at Reddik and Rakel, "and you two are proof that Hakonians can live in the light."

"So you're helping us because of me and Reddik?" Rakel asked, "but why did you wait until now?"

"Because everything that's happening is finally moving towards an end game that could go either way," said Aqua, "I've been hiding from the enemy, first form Organization XIII, then from Maleficent, and just now Gideon and his demons. For a time I had joined forces with Ansem the Wise in a campaign to drive Maleficent insane. That plan has failed, and Ansem was forced to escape. I chose to stay behind and wait for the chance to strike back against Maleficent, I owe her for what she did to my friends. I'm convinced that the time to strike is almost here, all we need to do is wait."

"For what?" Nikolai asked.

"For when Sora and his friends launch their invasion," said Aqua, "my benefactor, L. Lawlett, has informed me that several groups of heroes from different worlds have arrived on Twilight Town and are preparing to invade The World That Never Was, rescue the kidnapped princesses of heart, save Kairi's life and destroy Gideon and Maleficent, hopefully before they summon Kira."

"Then that's when we'll strike," said Reddik, "I have a new plan. We wait for Sora and his allies to attack, and while Maleficent and Gideon are focused on them, we open a second front, forcing Gideon and Maleficent to divide their forces. That's when our strike team will attack New Hollow Bastion and kill the evil ones. We'll let Sora and his companions rescue those needing rescuing, but Gideon and Maleficent our ours to destroy."

"That might just succeed," said Nikolai, "but we'll have to time our movements and attacks precisely with when the heroes attack, and we may have to pen communications with them so we can, at the very least, partially coordinate, but it can be done."

"It'll take more than communications," said Aqua, "if we all are to survive, heroes, Hakonians and others, if we are to defeat the dark ones, then we all must openly work together."

"You want us to join forces with those losers?" Katarina asked, "those goody two shoes prudes?"

"It's completely out of the question!" said Nikolai, "there's far too much bad blood between Hakonians and Keyblade Wielders. Cooperation is simply impossible."

"How do you know if you won't try?" Falkon asked, "I have no qualm with Sora and his companions."

"Neither do I," said Hektor, "in fact, the majority of the remaining Hakonians have never even seen The Keyblade Wielders."

"Well I have," said Reddik, "and I hate them, especially Aiden."

"I hate them all," said Rakel, "but I hate Aiden more for what he did to Reddik."

"Wasn't it that other kid who shot Reddik?" Pete asked.

"Him to," said Rakel.

"You may not hate the Keyblade Wielders," said Nikolai to Falkon, "but we do."

"Then you are fools," said Aqua in a matter of fact tone.

"I beg your pardon!" exclaimed Nikolai, "how dare you?"

"I dare because it's true," said Aqua, "you're being complete idiots. Holding onto grudges will only hurt you in your hearts. You have to let go and move on, otherwise you'll end up drowning in your own darkness, and you'll become more Heartless for Maleficent to command, and possibly Nobodies as well."

"You don't know what you're asking of us," said Reddik, "we've fought Sora and his friends so many times."

"And you lost to them each time," said Aqua, "right? Well, chances are you'll never beat them, so why keep fighting, when you can work with them, this one time. The end result will benefit both groups."

At that Nikolai, Katarina, Reddik and Rakel looked at each other, contemplating Aqua's words. Eventually, it was Rakel who spoke for all four of them, "well, if it'll help us all get away from the darkness, then yes, we'll work with The Keyblade Wielders."

"But only so far as the actual fighting," said Reddik, "we won't be all 'let's be friends' and stuff with them."

"On that we agree," said Nikolai.

"So," said Katarina, "we wait. I hate waiting."

"So do I," said Aqua, "but I've waited ten years for this moment. What's another day or so."

"They're coming so soon?" Nikolai asked.

"Well, first we have to wait for Maleficent to attack Twilight Town in order to get the last Princess of Heart," said Aqua, "L predicted that that's when the last princess will be kidnapped and Gideon will start his plan to summon Kira. Sora will then organize the counterattack that will have his friends and allies invade The World that Never Was."

"Let me get this straight," said Pete, "this L guy knows what's going to happen, but not when? Is he psychic or something?"

"Not that I can figure," said Aqua, "from what I can tell, he gathers information and uses logic to make educated guesses on outcomes. Most of the time his guesses are right, and he guessed that our teaming up with Sora and the others will give us the best chance of success."

"How much of a best chance are we talking about?" Tylek asked.

"Roughly 57.356% in favor of success," said Aqua, "plus or minus .3%, at least that's what L says."

"Then we'll just have to make up the rest ourselves," said Reddik, "seize success ourselves," he looked at Falkon, Tylek and Hektor, "prepare our forces. We move into position when Maleficent launches her attack. Then we wait for Sora to counterattack." He then looked at Katarina, "I hope your connections are still good with the nobles, we're going to need as many of them as we can."

"Right," said Katarina as she pulled out her mobile, "nobody talk to me for a while, I've got a lot of calls to make and minutes to use up."

"I too have a call to make," said Aqua as she pulled out a communication crystal, "a friend of mine has been getting ready to make his move. I just need to tell him that the time is almost here."

"And who is this friend?" Rakel asked.

"Someone who helped me find my way out of my own darkness," said Aqua as she used the crystal to send a written message, "now, if you'll excuse me, I have another friend who need my help."

"You're leaving already?" Pete asked, "but you just got here."

"I know," said Aqua, "and I will return in time to ensure victory, but there's an innocent girl who needs my help, now more than ever. Excuse me," she bowed in respect and exited the building.

"Just where is she going?" Katarina asked, "who's this girl who needs help?"

"Who else?" Nikoali asked, "what other girl on New Hollow Bastion is on the verge of death?"

* * *

><p><strong>…The Old Mansion…Twilight Town…<strong>

"I just received word," said Ansem to King Mickey, "Aqua has made contact with the Hakonians. They are willing to help, to an extent."

"If they can help, all the more better," said King Mickey, "but what about Kairi? Even if we can get everyone over into the realm of darkness, it'll take a long time for us to fight our way through to Kairi. And Maleficent can kill her before we ever get close."

"That will be Aqua's responsibility," said Ansem, "she will attempt a rescue of Kairi. All we have to do, when the time comes, is keep Maleficent occupied."

"You'd better believe that we'll keep her occupied," said The King.

* * *

><p><strong>…Hakonian Prime… The Past…<strong>

"Why?" Jessika asked, "why are you doing this? We're on the same side for crying out loud!"

"Only so far as to get what I want," said Yurik, "yes, we agree that the nobles have had their way for far too long. Yes, the empire needs change, but not the kind you change you're thinking of. Where as you wish to save the Hakonian empire from itself, I see it as rotten through and through and must be destroyed."

"What?" Karl asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Your time is running out!" shouted Dunkan, "don't make it worse for you than it already is!"

"I'd give real gold to make him shut up!" said Rory.

"Show me some scrap iron and I'll make some gold," said Aiden, "or any other base metal."

"You can do that?" Amy asked, "turn led into gold?"

"Pretty much any alchemist can transmute base metal into precious metal," said Aiden, "and back again if we so want, although why anyone would want to turn gold into led is beyond me."

"If I can continue," said Yurik, "why I'm doing this, it's because the whole empire is corrupt from top to bottom. Even if you remove all the nobles from power and try to initiate democracy, it won't make a difference. You'll wind up with a whole new set of nobles bossing the rest of us, and the cycle of tyranny and revolution will start all over again, and again and again. Well I'm breaking the cycle here and now!"

"By becoming a tyrant yourself?" Rory asked.

"Stupid human," said Yurik, "I don't want to rule the empire, I want to destroy it! And I'm going to do it right here and now!" he pulled out a PDA device, "the extra parts of the virus not only allows me to control the Computer Core, it also allows me to deactivate the coolant system of the Computer Core."

"That'll cause the whole machine to overheat and explode," said a shocked Aiden.

"Exactly!" said Yurik, "I will make the entire Supreme Computer Core complex self-destruct, destroying the foundation of the empire in the same blow!"

"You're mad!" exclaimed Jessika in a horrified tone, "you'll destroy the Subspace network, T-Mat, everything that keeps the empire running. And the war fleets and all our other starships in hyperspace, they'll be lost forever. Every world and colony in the empire will descent into chaos almost instantly. Trillions will die!"

"This isn't what we wanted, Yurik," said Karl, "we were supposed to save the empire, our people, from the darkness, not send it spiraling out of control into it."

"We're already far too deep into the darkness to get out," said Yurik, "the empire is already dead, I'm just giving it a proper burial."

"Well this has been all nice and dandy," said The Doctor, "but I'm afraid I have to stop you," he held up his Sonic Screwdriver.

"You keep that thing away from me!" shouted Yurik as he held up his PDA with his finger just millimeters away from pressing the button that would activate the final command of the virus, "one false move and I'll end the empire and the Hakonian race forever!"

Aiden walked forward, "I hate to burst your bubble, but you won't destroy the race, and the empire won't completely die."

"What are you talking about?" Jessika asked.

"I'm talking about the Hakonians in the future," said Aiden, "in my time. Yes, my friends and I fought and defeated them. But there were common Hakonians as well."

"What?" Karl asked.

"I'm sorry, Karl," said Aiden, "but your plan was doomed to fail from the beginning," he looked at The Doctor, "this is what the Hakonians in my time told me, that you brought the empire down," he looked at Karl, "our being here is what will cause your empire to collapse. Only a handful out of your entire race will survive the coming chaos and become nomads, wandering time and space for years upon years.

"Eventually they will be recruited by the most evil of villains, Maleficent. After so long, your people will still be dominated by the remains of the nobility desperate to rebuild a long dead empire, while the common Hakonians can only sit back and watch as their numbers slowly dwindle."

Aiden glared at Yurik, "this is what's going to happen, Yurik, you're only condemning your people to a slow and painful death! But it doesn't have to be this way! There's still a chance to change the future for the better. Just give control of the Computer Core over to Karl and Jessika, and everything will be alright."

"As if I would give up now when I'm so close, Keyblade Wielder," said Yurik.

"How'd you know I'm a Keyblade Wielder?" Aiden asked, "wait, there's something…odd about you," he looked more closely at Yurik, "you don't…you're not a Hakonian!"

"What?" Karl and Jessika demanded.

"But he is one of them," said Rory, "isn't he?"

"Ask The Doctor," said Aiden, "he told me to look for anything odd, anything that didn't seem right, when there's something wrong about Yurik here. I've fought Hakonians in my time and this time and they've all had this sensation about them. I never really noticed it before, something that's been in the back of my mind every time I fought them.

"But now that I'm face to face with this slimy turncoat, I realize that the thing about Hakonians that I've been picking sensing, it's not in him. But what is he? Is he human? a demon? A Heartless? A Nobody? I don't know, but he's not a Hakonian."

"Then what is he?" Karl asked as he hefted a blaster and aimed it Yurik, "who or what the hell are you?"

"Who am I is irrelevant," Yurik said in a vicious tone.

"Then what are you?" Jessika asked, "Tell us."

"I'm something else," said Yurik, "something that hasn't been seen in the realms of man, Hakonian, Time Lord and all those other races that live in the light, that hasn't been seen in ages. I am an Acolyte of the true master of darkness."

"And who is the true master of darkness?" Aiden asked, "Light Yagami? Are you working for Kira?"

"That pussy?" Yurik asked. He laughed cruelly, "that so called god of a new world is nothing compared to my master. He himself has been manipulated ever since he first caught sight of the Death Note."

"Then Ryuzaki lied to us about the real evil being Kira," said Aiden, "or he didn't know the truth. Either way I've got to get back to my friends and warn them," he looked at Karl and Jessika, "you have to give back The TARDIS, now!"

"No one is doing anything until we get to the bottom of this!" exclaimed Karl. He then glared at Yurik, "who is your master?"

"You're down to two minutes!" said Dunkan, "then we're coming in!"

"They won't bother us," said Yurik, "not until I've finished what I've been sent here to do. As for my master, I serve something from long ago, something so dark, so terrible, that our distant ancestors from before the founding of the empire forbidden the mere utterance of his name, until the time is right," he held up his PDA, "and the time is now! I'll just press the button and the empire descends into chaos, all for the glory of Chernabog, the true lord of darkness!"

"Chernabog?" Jessika asked, "but, that can't be, he's just a myth, a story to frighten children into obedience."

"Believe me," said Yurik, "he's real, and he will have this world plunged into chaos"

"But why?" Amy asked, "why are you doing this?"

"I can guess," said The Doctor.

"It's really simple," said Yurik, "my master, Lord Chernabog, thrives on chaos, and an empire spanning whole galaxies, suddenly thrown into chaos, it would be a feast for him."

"I guessed wrong," said The Doctor.

"What did you think it was, Doctor?" Amy asked.

"It's not important, Pond," said The Doctor, "what is important is that we stop this before it starts."

"I thought you said this whole thing was time locked," said Aiden.

"We won't know unless we try," said The Doctor. He then aimed his Sonic Screwdriver at Yurik's PDA and tried to disable it, but nothing happened.

"My device has been secured with a Deadlock seal," said Yurik, "immune to Sonic Screwdrivers."

"Thirty seconds!" snapped Dunkan.

"I'll wait until the last second," said Yurik, "then the real party will begin."

But then one of the rebel Hakonians decided that enough was enough. He aimed his blaster at Yurik, "you die, mother-fraker!" he shouted and pulled the trigger. A bolt of death energy shot and hit Yurik right in the chest, burning a whole two inches wide right through his midsection.

"Guess your boss should have made you immune to blasters as well," said the Hakonian.

Yurik gasped in shock at the sudden impact. He looked down and saw the wound as he fell to his knees.

"Grab that device!" shouted The Doctor.

But before anyone could move, Yurik held up his PDA, "All glory to Lord Chernabog!" he shouted as he pressed the button. He collapsed to the floor, dead as a doornail.

Over at the Supreme Computer Core, the coolant system deactivated, depriving the complex of vital liquid nitrogen. Almost instantly the machinery began to overheat to beyond the point of no return. Parts of the complex began combusting from the incredible heat building up, and it kept getting hotter and hotter. Eventually it got to the point where the metal parts of the complex began melting, then more sensitive parts of the massive computer began to explode, culminating in one massive explosion that utterly destroyed the complex.

In the warehouse, the rebels and the others heard the explosions, followed by the bigger one that demolished the complex.

"There it goes," said Karl in a distant, defeated tone.

Jessika looked at her computer screen, which showed a tone of error messages, "everything's going offline; electrical power, Subspace network, T-Mat, the media channels, everything else, it's all gone."

Outside, the grunts from the Enforcement Bureau heard the explosion and were completely baffled by it. But Dunkan wasn't concerned by it at all.

"Enough of this nonsense!" snapped Dunkan, "we're going in now!"

"But Lord Shadowhunter," said one of the Enforcement Bureau grunts, "shouldn't we investigate that explosion?"

"Damn the explosion!" snapped Dunkan, "that anonymous tip and that tracking signal lead us right to the nest of a rebel group, and most likely they're the ones who broke those spies out from Bureau headquarters. They won't escape from me again!"

"Lord Shadowhunter!" exclaimed a frightened Bureau grunt, "we've lost contact with Bureau Headquarters!"

"What?" shouted Dunkan.

"We've lost contact with headquarters," said the frightened Hakonian, "we've also lost contact with other Enforcement units, the regular police, the high command, everyone! The entire communication system has gone down!"

"All the media channels are also off the air!" said another frightened Hakonain.

"That's impossible!" spat Dunkan, "everything is controlled by the Supreme Computer Core, and it never malfunctions."

"Uh, sir," said one of the grunts nervously, "I think that explosion was the Supreme Computer Core."

Dunkan suddenly went white with terror, "then…everything is…"

As if in answer first one, then another, then more, then every single hovercar and flying vehicle on Hakonian Prime fell out of the sky. Some of the crashed in the streets, while other slammed into buildings. The cars had no flammable fuel so there were no explosions, but all the occupants of the flying vehicles died on impact, while a handful of Hakonians whom were in the wrong place in the wrong time were crushed by the sudden rain of metal and plastic.

This was only just the beginning of the chaos. In a blink of an eye, trillions in currency was obliterated when the massive banking system of the empire shut down. Rich and poor alike were all simultaneously rendered penniless.

Without the T-Mat system the vital supplies that kept the planetwide city running around the clock stopped flowing. Markets that were constantly selling food to the masses ran out of stock within minutes. Construction supply depots ran out of parts and materials. Factories ran out of raw materials to churn out finished goods and grinded to a halt. And the power reactors that kept the lights of Hakonian Prime burning ran out of fuel. Section by section the planet went dark for the first time in millennia.

These events were mirrored across each world and colony in the empire, while every single starship flying the Hakonian flag in hyperspace, including the war fleets on their way back from their triumph over The Daleks, were lost as their navigation computers went offline, condemned to drift forever without hope of finding their way back to normal space.

But the most drastic event came to the trillions of common Hakonians whom were no longer bombarded by brainwashing programs. For the first time in their lives they were free to think for themselves as the media networks went off the air. Across the worlds and colonies of the empire, common Hakonians stopped what they were doing and looked around in confusion.

But the Hakonian masses had no time to fully come to terms with their new found freedom, especially the ones on Hakonian Prime. Their confusion quickly turned to panic, first by the loss of communications across the planet and with other worlds in the empire, the hail of falling cars, then by the sudden shortage of food and supplies, the loss of their money system, and then by the loss of their energy systems. The loss of lights was the final straw for the masses as they gave over to complete terror. Full scale riots erupted across the planet like wildfires.

A similar effect happened to the noble minority. Being genetically immune to the brainwashing programs, they enjoyed the media networks because it amused them. But then they were confused as the many channels of programming went off the air, followed by the loss of communications with their friends across the empire.

But then they realized that their dietary desires were no longer being fulfilled, as well as their spending desires. They were soon shocked to find that all of their monetary assets were gone. The nobles were then shocked to see all of the hover vehicles were falling out of the sky, while those nobles in their flying cars were terrified to be falling to their gory deaths.

The nobles were then traumatized even further when the lights went out. Then the riots began among the commoners. The nobles were outraged at the loss of control over their empire and demanded that order be restored. But all attempts to enforce their rule ended in futility, further adding to their outrage and terror.

"Well, this is a fine kettle of fish we're in," said The Doctor as the rebels in the warehouse heard their world going to pieces around them.

"This is horrible," said Jessika, "this isn't what was supposed to happen. We were supposed to save the empire, not destroy it."

"And it's all the fault of this lying bastard!" snapped Karl as he kicked the corpse of Yurik.

"Oh, getting upset at a dead man won't solve things," said The Doctor.

"It'll make me fell better," said Karl as he kicked Yurik's dead body again.

"Is it making you feel better?" Amy asked.

Karl kicked Yurik again, then stood back and sighed in resignation, "not really," he said.

"Then why don't you stop wasting time on a dead man and do something!" said Amy, "surely there's something that you can do to fix this."

"There's nothing that we can do," said Karl, "and don't call me Shirley!"

"It's all over," said Jessika in a defeated tone, "without the Supreme Computer Core, the empire is finished."

"Wait a second," said Rory, "doesn't the empire have backup computer networks?"

"That's right," said Aiden, "surely there's backups that can be brought into play."

"There aren't any backups," said Karl, "and if you call me Shirley one more time, I'll rip your face off!"

"The scientists who created the Supreme Computer Core made it so that it would render backup networks obsolete," said Jessika, "the Computer Core is, I mean, was, self repairing. If any part of it malfunctioned in any way, be the problem mechanical or software in nature, it can fix itself. But it's been completely destroyed, and with it the empire. This is the end, the end of the Hakonian race, it's all over."

"I don't believe this!" snapped The Doctor, "just a few minutes ago you people were on top of your world. You were ready to remove the corrupt nobles from power and bring freedom to your entire race, and now that one little snag has been thrown into the works, you're ready to give up? Where's the fun in that?"

"It stopped being fun when the system that keeps the empire from falling apart freaking blew up!" snapped Karl, his face twisted in rage, "so what the hell do you expect us to do now other than give up?"

"We're dead," said Jessika, "we're all going to die."

"Why are you so sure about that?" Amy asked, "sure, the big computer that keeps your empire running is gone and now nothing works. Sure, a lot of people are going to die needlessly in all the chaos, but they'll be survivors, right?"

"There's always been survivors," said Rory, "even the worst of disasters there's always a handful whom emerge unscathed to rebuild."

"Yes, on the other worlds in the empire," said Jessika, "but not on Hakonian Prime. By this time tomorrow, there won't be a single living thing on the planet."

"What are you talking about?" Aiden asked, "what haven't you told me?"

"The Computer Core had another task," said Jessika, "one of greater importance than running the Subspace Network and T-Mat."

"You know that Hakonian Prime is one big city that covers the entire planet," said Karl, "it became that way by clear cutting every single forest and filling in every ocean, sea, lake and river and building over them. The nobles were so irresponsible in their visions of delusional grandeur, they completely ruined the planet's ecosystem in order to realize their dream of a planetwide city."

"The nobles destroyed everything that made oxygen on Hakonian Prime," said Jessika, "all the plants on land and sea, all gone. So our scientists created massive oxygen factories and air recyclers that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, set them on automatic and tied them into the computer core. Unfortunately they never envisioned a time when the computer core wouldn't be there, so without the computer core, the oxygen factories would shut down, and even if they could be reprogrammed to run without the computer core, there's still no power to run them.

"That means there's no more fresh oxygen being produced. That means that the air won't be cleaned of carbon dioxide, and with all the fires and destroyed buildings that's sure to happen, the atmosphere will become toxic fairly soon. Within 24 hours, everything alive on Hakonian Prime will have choked to death."

"Now you know why we're so depressed," said Karl, "so, Doctor, any ideas on how to save us? Because I have nothing."

"Well, there's always Plan B," said The Doctor.

"Plan B?" Jessika asked, "we don't have a Plan B," she paused in thought, "although it would have been a good idea to have a backup plan, but nothing we could have thought of could have prepared us for this."

Just then came the sound of an explosion from somewhere in the city, not as big as the one that destroyed the Computer Core, but a bit closer. While the rebels, Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory couldn't see it, one of the riots had started a fire in a building. It was quickly revealed that the Computer Core also controlled the firefighting systems in the city. The building, which ironically was constructed of highly flammable materials, went off like a firecracker, showering the streets and nearby buildings with flaming debris, starting new fires. All those fires and all the dust from the destroyed buildings, combined with billions of breathing individuals, was slowly but surely using up the oxygen in the atmosphere

"I think we'd better think of something soon," said Aiden, "and it'd better be good, or else we really will all choke to death," he looked at The Doctor, "so what's Plan B?"

"It's not that big a plan," said The Doctor, "but it's been something that's saved my sorry hide time and time again. _'When in doubt, run away.'_"

"Run away?" Karl asked, "where? How? And why? Why should we abandon the empire?"

"The empire's finished," said Jessika as the light of reason dawned in her eyes, "it makes perfect sense to cut our losses and run, and save as many of our people as we can."

"You're right," said Karl as he also began to see reason, "you're absolutely right, but how are we supposed to escape? We can communicate to other rebel groups throughout the world with radio, but with what will we use to escape the planet? Without T-Mat, we can't beam up to the starships in orbit, and even then we wouldn't get very far without the navigation systems."

"We don't need the Computer Core," said one of the rebel Hakonians, a man with short green hair and hazel eyes, "we have everything we need at the other warehouse."

"You mean The TARDIS?" Rory asked, "there's definitely enough room in that box for a lot of people."

"We'd never save enough before the whole planet fell apart," said Karl.

"I'm not talking about a Time Lord time machine," said the Hakonian who spoke up, "I'm talking about older models of starships, the kind that have their own navigation computers and can take off from a planet, rather than be permanently in orbit around a world."

"That's brilliant," said Karl, "but it won't work. What's your name again? You seem new to me."

"I joined this group the other day," said the Hakonian, "when the Enforcement Bureau raided my old group's hideout. I'm Lukas Nightblade, and it will work."

"And just where are we going to find old style starships on Hakonian Prime?" Karl asked.

"At a decommissioned spaceport," said Lukas Nightblace, "there's thousands of them all over the planet, especially right next to my old hideout. And each spaceport has dozens of old style starships, and some places have hundreds, all of them just sitting there collecting dust."

"There's an old spaceport right next to the other warehouse," said Jessika, "about ten kilometers from here, and it does have old starships! It could work!" she then frowned, "but it won't. Those ships must be centuries old and rusting wrecks by now."

"No they're not," said Lukas, "I'm a mechanical engender and in my spare time I tinkered with the old starships. I've done my homework; a lot of the old ships are still space worthy. All they need is to be refueled and their batteries reenergized, and all of that can be done at the spaceports; they still have fuel and backup generators for emergency jumpstarts, and all the ships have replicators, so we won't have to worry about food, water or any supplies. All we need to do is refuel, reenergize, load up as many people as we can rescue and take off."

"How long will it take to get the ships ready?" Karl asked, the light of hope gleaming in his eyes.

"At least half an hour to fill up the fuel tanks and energize the batteries," said Lukas, "it all depends on how soon as we get our people onto the space ports."

"Our T-Mat unit can get you and a few others over to the nearest port," said Jessika.

"But the Computer Core was destroyed," said Aiden.

"I programmed our T-Mat to operate independently from the Computer Core," said Jessika, "and it has a emergency power supply, good for one teleport."

More explosions were then heard throughout the city, reminding everyone of the urgency of the situation.

"It's now or never if we're going to do this," said Karl. He looked at Lukas, "take whomever you need in order to get the starships ready. We'll beam you to the other warehouse right now," he then looked at the rest of the rebels in the warehouse, "get on the air to the other groups, tell them to make for the old spaceports and get the starships ready, and get as many of our people onto those ships before it's too late."

Half the rebels went to the far end of the warehouse, where several sets of old-style ham radio sets stood on a long table. They then began contacting other rebel groups, sending out the message of escape.

As for Lukas, he and three other Hakonians stood on the T-Mat pad and waited while Jessika programmed the device, "transporting, now!" with a flash of white light, the four Hakonians were gone.

At the same time the T-Mat unit powered down, "and that's that," said Jessika as she stood back from her machine, "the last T-Mat in the Hakonian empire is finished."

"We'll make more when we settle down wherever we're going," said Karl, "I mean, we can't possibly spend so long wandering in space as Aiden said, right?"

"I don't think you want to know the answer to that," said Aiden hesitantly.

"Wait," said Amy, "you just used that transport thing to send those guys to the other warehouse, the one with The TARDIS, right?"

"The other warehouse is where have your time ship," said Karl.

"And now our transporter is out of power," said Rory, "how are the rest of us going to get there?"

"Not with this thing," said The Doctor as he used his Sonic Screwdriver to try and reactivate the T-Mat unit, but to no avail.

"Let me try," said Aiden as he pulled out a stick of chalk and began drawing a transmutation circle, "the emergency battery is chemical, right?"

"It's a lithium ion battery," said Jessika.

"Then I can reenergize it," said Aiden, "just change the chemicals just enough. But if I change it too much, I could make the battery explode."

"Then why the hell are you even trying?" Jessika asked in an outraged tone.

"It's either that or run however far it is to the spaceport and The TARDIS," said Aiden as he finished drawing the circle. "alright, everyone stand back," he then activated the circle. It glowed with the bright energy of Alchemy.

Aiden sighed with relief when the battery didn't explode, "it worked, but I don't know how many more times I can do that safely."

"Right," said Karl. He nodded to a handful of his group, "go!"

The rebels got onto the T-Mat pad and Jessika beamed them to the other side. Again the machine lost power.

"I think I can try it one more time safely," said Aiden as he drew another Transmutation circle and activated it. Once again the battery was energized, "make this one count for real, I don't know if it can take any more transmutations."

"Get going!" said Karl to another half dozen of his rebels. They got onto the pad and Jessika beamed them out, leaving ten remaining rebels, not counting Jessika and Karl.

But then smoke began to rise from the machine, then gouts of flame.

"I hate it when I'm right," said Aiden as one of the remaining Hakonians put the flames out with a fire extinguisher.

"Looks like we're going to have to run to the warehouse," said Karl.

"That's ten kilometers from here," said Jessika, "and the city's going to hell in a hand basket. We'd never make it."

Just then came the sound of something heavy slamming against the warehouse doors, causing them to buckle and nearly collapse.

"Now what?" Amy asked.

"I don't know," said Karl, "but it's better than hanging around here," he looked at the remaining rebels, "arm yourselves! And be careful with your blaster's power packs, we can't recharge them anymore."

But then another heavy object slammed against the doors, breaking them. The object turned out to be a large part of a smashed hovercar, and it was thrown by Dunkan, who looked like was ready to rip someone apart on general principal.

"You!" snapped Dunkan, "you filthy rebel scum, you did this! You bought ruin to the empire! And now you're going to die!"

"I think we made him mad," said Amy.

"I'm going to render you all into little pieces," said Dunkan, "then I'm going to stuff you all into tiny boxes and jump on them!" He pulled out a large axe and pressed a button on the handle, making the blade glow dark purple.

"Come and get me, you mother-fraking psycho!" shouted Karl as he pulled out a sword and pressed a switch on the handle, making the blade glow bright yellow.

"Is this really the time for this?" Jessika asked.

"I agree," said one of the Enforcement Bureau grunts, "Lord Shadowhunter, we can't waste time on these miscreants. We have to restore order in the city. We have to fight against the chaos!"

"These rebel slime are responsible for all the chaos in the city!" snapped Dunkan, "they must be punished! They must! They Must!"

"Is there another way out of the warehouse?" The Doctor whispered to Jessika.

"There is," said Jessika, "but…"

"But nothing," said The Doctor, "just get everyone to run," he then walked forward and stood between Karl and Dunkan, "if I may point something out, gentlemen, it seems rather foolish that you two are so adamant over settling an obvious longstanding grudge, which is especially foolish during this time of crisis when so many people are on the verge of losing their lives."

"Well when else are we going to finish it?" Karl asked.

"Now's as good a time as any," said Dunkan.

"Can I ask why you're so hell-bent on killing each other?" Aiden asked, "other than the fact that you're on opposite sides of a struggle between social structures."

"I have every right to kill this sack of pig vomit," said Karl as he pointed his sword at Dunkan, "he killed my parents! No, he didn't actually slay them with his own hand, but he had them brought to the Enforcement Bureau and tortured to death, all because they questioned the authority of the nobles."

"Your parents deserved to die!" snapped Dunkan, "as all do who dare to question the noble's right to rule. It is our right to rule, given to us by the divine darkness! We have every right to rule!"

"I don't think so," said The Doctor, "haven't you been paying attention to what's being going on outside? Your divine right means nothing now."

"It's our right!" snapped Dunkan, his eyes heavily bloodshot with mania, "our right! And now you're all going to die!"

"You wouldn't let me finish," said The Doctor, "now if you would just stop and think for a second…"

"Thinking is for the weak!" spat Dunkan, "power is everything!"

"You are crazy!" said Aiden. He then looked like he saw something terrifying behind Dunkan, "what the hell is that!"

"What?" Dunkan asked as he and his minions, quickly turned around, and saw nothing. He then whirled around in rage, only to find that Aiden, The Doctor, Amy, Rory, Karl, Jessika and the remaining rebels, were gone.

"How the hell did they do that?" shouted Dunkan, "no, I don't want to know. Just find them!"

"But my lord," said one of the Enforcement Bureau lackeys, "we…"

"Find them and kill them!" snapped Dunkan, "kill them! Kill Them! Kill! KILL!"

**The end of chapter 7.**

Next chapter finds Aiden and his time-traveling friends racing to escape from the falling empire. Meanwhile, Sora, the others and all their allies fight for their lives to protect Usagi, while a new hero rises to shine through the darkness. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	8. Chapter 8: Maleficent's Wrath

Last time found Sora and the gang in the middle of a full blown argument between the gathered heroes, an argument to determin whom would be the overall leader in the battle against Maleficent and Gideon. The timely arrival of a certain wizard and a certain meta human helped Sora not only convince himself that he was the right person to lead, but also helped him recover his Keyblade. The gathered heroes then got to know each other, comparing adventures and abilities, while some discovered powers they never knew existed, while others were given the means to fight against the darkness.

Over at New Hollow Bastion, Maleficent set in motion her latest diabolical scheme to capture Usagi and crush all our heroes, while Nessie faced a horrible choice; either go without human blood and risk her life, or take the blood her fellow captured Princesses were offering her. She chose the later and Victoire set about prepairing something sharp in which she, Sara, Violet, Lyra and Miley could donate some of their blood. At the same time, the rebel Hakonians and Pete came to the conclusion that they would need help, while Aqua revealed herself and set out to rescue Kairi.

Meanwhile in the past, Aiden and his time traveling companions could only watch as the traitor Yurik destroyed the Supreme Computer Core and doomed the Hakonian Empire to death and destruction, all in the name of Chernabog. But there was hope, for one of the rebels knew of a means to evacuate the planet before the atmosphere became too toxic for life. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 8: Maleficent's Wrath**

"I can't believe it," said Jessika as the fugitives ran through an underground tunnel that they had jumped into via a hidden trapdoor in the warehouse floor, "that has to have been the oldest trick in the book, and they fell for it!"

"Like my friend Riku once told a demon," said Aiden, "villains are idiots."

"Let's hope they're too stupid to find the trapdoor," said Karl, "otherwise they'll follow us right to the spaceport."

"How long will it be before everyone learns that the only way off the planet is through old spaceships?" Amy asked.

"Long enough for us to get as many innocent people off the planet before it's too late," said Karl, "the nobles can do whatever they want, my only wish is to save my people."

"And this tunnel will get us to the space port?" Rory asked.

"These tunnels are all under the city," said Jessika, "they're utility corridors used to access the deep machinery that keeps the city running. We've used them to move around and coordinate rebel activity. They're perfect for us, since most of the nobles have either forgotten about them or are too stupid to think of looking for us in them."

"Let's hope that Dunkan and his crew don't think of them," said Amy.

Just then the tunnel shook as a building overhead and a few blocks away collapsed from fire damage.

"How strong are these tunnels?" Aiden asked nervously.

"Strong enough to support the weight of the city," said Karl. The tunnels shook more violently as a closer building collapsed, "but not strong enough to hold up thousands of tones of debris falling on it. Run!"

"I thought we were running!" Rory shouted.

"Then run faster!" shouted Karl.

"Good idea!" shouted Rory.

"Exciting, isn't it?" The Doctor asked Aiden.

"The second," said an irate Aiden as he glared at The Doctor, "and I mean the very second we get back to The TARDIS, we are leaving this gods-forsaken world and you're taking me back to my friends. And if we wind up somewhere else, I'll kill you!"

"Now that wouldn't be a good idea," said The Doctor, "especially since I'm finally used to this body."

"What?" Aiden asked.

"Long story, tell you later," said The Doctor. "now, if we could just get through this tunnel without any more surprises."

Just then the tunnel shook more violently as the building over it came down.

"Guess it was too much to ask for," said The Doctor.

"Hold on!" shouted Karl as everyone grabbed either a pipe or a stepladder rung. They waited for dear life as thousands of tones of metal, concrete and plastic came raining down.

But miraculously the tunnel held firm and no one was hurt.

"That was too close," said Jessika as everyone got up and continued down the tunnel, "that was way too close."

"I guess the gods are smiling on us after all," said Aiden.

"Just what gods do you pray to?" Karl asked, "because I'm thinking about converting."

"Well," said Aiden hesitantly, "they're not really big gods, just a lot of little gods that come together to create a great power. Most people in The State follow one god, while my family and a few others are pagans, but the church and the State government have always left us alone. So…"

Just as Aiden was about to go into a more deeper theological discussion, he looked up and saw that the tunnel roof was cracking, "uh, this doesn't look good."

Just then the cracks suddenly got bigger and chunks of the ceiling fell off.

"Run! Run for your lives!" shouted Karl. Everyone took off like bats out of hell, but the cracks in the ceiling followed them and the chunks got bigger.

One chunk fell on the head of one of the rebel Hakonians, killing him instantly.

"Keep going!" said Karl as he noticed a marker on the tunnel wall, "we're only seven kilometers away!"

"Only seven?" one of the rebels shouted, just before another chunk fell on him.

Another Hakonian was crushed by several chunks, while a fourth tripped and fell on his face. He tired to get up but was buried alive by falling pieces.

But then the cracks stopped and the ceiling ceased falling.

"I think we're ok," said Jessika.

But then Aiden looked ahead and saw that the ceiling before them was collapsing, "Stop!" he shouted.

Everyone skidded to a halt just in front of the ceiling collapse. The path before them was completely blocked. There then came the sound of more of the ceiling falling. Everyone turned around and saw that the path behind them had also caved in.

"Oh come on!" exclaimed Aiden, "this is too much. We can't go forward and we can't go back! This whole situation is a festering sack of donkey balls!"

"Well, swearing won't get us out of this," said Karl.

"I'm open to suggestions," said Aiden.

"Can't we blast our way out?" Rory asked as he looked at the obstructions before and behind them, "how deep is it?"

"Deep enough to keep us here a while," said The Doctor as he examined both obstructions with his Sonic Screwdriver. He then aimed it above them, "however, our salvation may be just over our heads."

Aiden looked up and saw a step ladder set into the wall, leading to a sealed manhole.

"We must be right under a street," said Jessika, "with the tunnel running perpendicular to it."

"It's our best chance," said Karl. He aimed his blaster at the sealed manhole.

"I wouldn't," said Aiden as he summoned his Keyblade, "blast that and you could crush us all," he pointed his Keyblade at the manhole and shot a bolt of alchemic energy, transmuting the manhole into dust and revealing the night sky choked by smoke clouds. Aiden and the others could hear the terrified screaming of the masses.

"Do we really want to go up there?" one of the rebels asked.

"Either that or say down here," said Karl. He then addressed all of his men and Jessika, "we're about to go up into the jaws of chaos itself. Our people out there are dieing as we speak, but there's little we can do to help them until we get the starships ready. No matter what, we have to get to the spaceport, so if we have to shoot someone who gets in our way, don't think twice about it."

At that the rebels shouted in outrage about having to murder their own people.

"I know it's terrible," said Karl, "but those people up there are so riled up with fear that they'll most likely kill us without thinking about it. Until we're at the safe house by the spaceport, it's everyone for themselves. Don't like it, stay down here.

"We all knew that something like this could happen; not this exact situation, but the fact that we might end up having to fight and kill our own people. But now's not the time for faint hearts. We have to do this," she pointed to Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory, "we forced these good people to help us when they had no real obligation to do so. We held their method of transportation hostage in order to have our way, does that make us any better than the nobles? I say that in or quest for freedom, we've lowered ourselves to the level of our oppressors.

"Well now's our chance to prove that we're better than those who kept us underfoot for so long. I say we devote ourselves to getting our friends to their ship. If that allows us to escape as well, all the better, but we must focus on getting The Doctor and his companions back to their time ship. Are you with me or not?"

The rebels and Jessika all shouted that they were with him.

"Then let's go, my friends," said Karl, "for the honor and glory of the Hakonian race. Our empire may fall and never rise again, but our people will live on!" At that Jessika and the rebels shouted in agreement.

"Makes you want to believe that there's hope for them after all," said Amy.

"Oh, there's always hope," said The Doctor. He looked at Aiden, "didn't you say that some of the Hakonians in your time were planning to escape their dark mistress and seek a new life?"

"Yeah," said Aiden, "but it was told to me and my friends by someone whom we couldn't really trust."

Karl then walked over, "if you're going to talk about things that have already happened, yet haven't happened yet, make sure that the people it concerns can't hear it. Anyway, we're going to make a run for the spaceport. I'll go first to make sure that the way is clear, then the others, then you guys and Jessika will come up. We'll all run for it together."

He then climbed up the stepladder and went onto the street above. After a few seconds he shouted down that all was clear.

One by one the remaining rebels went up the ladder, with Aiden, The Doctor, Amy, Rory and Jessika bringing up the rear.

Aiden was shocked to see just how horribly wrong things had gone in the city in such a short time. All around them buildings were burning and collapsing, while Hakonians, nobles and commoners alike, were dieing.

Many were killed in the burning and collapsing buildings, while others were slain in the streets by falling debris. Some Hakonians were fighting each other over food scraps and now worthless items, while here and there police and Enforcement Bureau goons tried vainly to restore order, only to be overwhelmed by the panicking mobs.

"Which way to the spaceport?" Aiden asked.

"This way!" shouted Karl as he pointed to a side street a few blocks to the west. With that they ran for it.

They reached the side street without any trouble, emerging onto another street that was just as chaotic and blood strewn as the last. But here they encountered several panicking Hakonians armed with a wide variety of blunt objects ranging from metal pipes to plastic construction beams and so on.

The small mob of Hakonians rushed at the rebels, not to gain anything, but out of fear and desperation. Without thinking twice, Karl and his comrades shot the panicking mob, mostly to wound but a few were killed. The majority of the mob decided they would be better off elsewhere and ran off.

"Keep moving!" said Karl, "go, before another mob shows up!"

They ran through the streets, ducking into side streets to avoid roving gangs of out of control commoners, then getting back on course for the spaceport.

They then passed a street that had a lot of lavishly constructed apartment buildings, "we're on the edge of one of the districts where the nobles live," said Jessika.

Aiden saw throngs of common Hakonians storming the residencies of the nobility, breaking the doors down with makeshift battering rams. Some apartments had by then been completely looted for food and precious items, while other apartment buildings had caught fire.

Worst of all, some nobles had been captured by the out of control commoners and were being put to death in increasingly graphic manners. Some were shot with purloined blasters. Others were hung on makeshift gallows. Here and there some were being crucified, and those were just the male nobles. While the former lords were being executed at the hands of their former slaves, the lades were suffering far worse fates, each female noble being ravaged to death.

"Can't we do anything to stop this?" Amy asked.

"Even if we wanted to save some of the worthless nobles," said Jessika, "poor bastards they are, the masses would turn on us in an instant."

"She's right," said Aiden, "it's horrible, but we can't do anything about this."

"The hell we can't," said Rory, "someone needs to tell these people to stop wasting time, that their world is about to die."

"As if they'll listen," said Karl.

"I'll be the judge of that," said The Doctor. He then walked forward to a large group of rioting commoners whom were about to crucify a pair of nobles. The Doctor then whistled loudly, catching the attention of nearly every Hakonian, rebel, commoner and noble alike.

"Hello there!" he said, "I'm The Doctor. You don't know me, but I know about you all. Now you're probably thinking that it's the end of days and that nothing matters any more so we might as well do whatever we want.

"Well, it is the end of sorts. The empire is finished, both here and in the rest of it. But that doesn't mean that it has to be the end of everything," he indicated Karl, Jessika and the other rebels, "these people, they've got a plan to escape."

"How?" one of the commoners asked, "the T-Mat is gone. We can't go to any of the other worlds and colonies in the empire."

"And we can't contact any of the starships," said another commoner, "both civilian and military."

"Our war fleets were in hyperspace," said a third commoner, "if T-Mat and communications are gone, then the navigation systems are gone too."

"A lot of things are gone," said Jessika as she stepped forward, "the entire Supreme Computer Core has been destroyed. Don't ask me how or if there are backup systems, there aren't any. Don't blame me or my comrades, blame the idiots who built the damn thing and convinced everyone that it was the only system needed."

"But how are we going to escape without T-Mat?" a fourth commoner asked.

"The old starships," said Karl, "there's thousands of them at decommissioned spaceports across Hakonian Prime. Some friends of ours are getting them ready, and the ships have everything we'll need to survive, including the means to make food, water, clothing and just about everything else."

"You hear that?" The Doctor asked, "now's your chance to leave this place and start anew somewhere else. You people have been denied your right to freedom and self determination since the days of your forefathers and their forefathers and so on and so on. Well, if you're going to make something of yourselves, make yourselves free."

"But where are we going to go?" One of the commoners asked.

"Anywhere but here," said Karl, "when the Computer Core died, it took the oxygen factories and air purifiers with it. Haven't you noticed that the air is getting fowl by now?"

Aiden then realized that the air did have a foul taste to it, like greasy smoke from all the burning buildings.

"It's only going to get worse," said Karl, "by this time tomorrow the air will be too toxic to support life, so it's either make a run for it or stay and suffocate."

After a brief pause, one by one the commoners put down their makeshift weapons and walked over to Karl and the rebels, "can you really save us?" one of the commoners asked.

"We'll try to save as many as we can," said Karl.

"Then let's go," said the commoner, while the other commoners nodded in agreement.

"Wait!" shouted one of the nobles, one that wasn't already dead or in the process of dieing, "what about us?"

"What about you?" Jessika asked.

"Aren't you going to save us, your rightful masters?" the noble asked, "you need us."

"We need you like we need additional holes in our heads," said Karl, "what good have you ever done us?"

"What good?" another noble asked, "what good? We're your leaders! You need us to tell you what to do!"

"Not any more," said Karl. He then addressed his people, "comrades, brothers and sisters all, for the first time in ages, you are free to think, free to choose for yourselves, free to truly live."

"Idiots like those nobles you were murdering just now are the reasons why we're in this mess," said Jessika, "they set up the system that kept you asleep in mind and heart, while they exploited the fruits of our labors and wallowed in decadent excessiveness. Well now you're awake, now you see what good the nobles are. Now let's stop wasting time and get off this planet before it's too late."

"What she said," said The Doctor.

"We'll take as many of you as we can," said Karl, "but you need to tell others about the plan. Spread the word to make for the old spaceports, my comrades are preparing the ships as we speak. Spread the world and we can all leave."

With that the rebels and the time travelers left with most of the formerly rioting commoners in the area, while a few others went to spread the word throughout the planet-wide city, leaving the nobles still alive and standing to just stand there in the street, looking like the idiots they were.

As they continued through the city, Aiden, The Doctor, Karl and their group soon found that more and more Hakonian commoners were joining them. Word was spreading like wildfire and miraculously the rioting was slowing down in their wake. A few commoners, driven hopelessly insane by the sudden collapse of law and order, were still causing mayhem throughout the city, but for the most part, the citizens of the fallen empire were behaving rationally, for an escape plan was being carried out.

"There it is!" Jessika shouted as they sighted the spaceport, where dozens of starships lay waiting.

As Aiden and his party approached the spaceport, Lukas came running out of a warehouse right next to the field full of starships, "we've got half the ships here ready, boss," he said to Karl, "and should have the rest up and running soon."

"How many are there here?" Karl asked.

"Over a hundred and twenty in this port alone," said Lukas, "and as luck would have it, all of them at this port are flight worthy, and each one is capable of holding a thousand people comfortably. If we're lucky, we can squeeze another 200 into each."

Aiden then got a good look at the starships. Each one was about twice as big as _The Intrepid Heart _in length but shorter in width with a delta wings. Each one was painted black, but the paint was pealing in random spots, displaying the age of the ships. But other than that they all looked like they were ready to return to space for a greatly extended voyage.

"You're going to fit a thousand people into each of those?" Amy asked.

"Of course," said Lukas, "sure, they look like they're worthless, but the ships are serviceable. Each ship has its own flight computer that automates most of the ship's functions, while the computers have manuals that can teach each crew how to run the ship, so until we learn how to fully use them, all we'll have to do is press flashing buttons that need pressing."

"I'm starting to think this was a bad idea," said Jessika, "I mean, the ships don't look that big. I just can't believe that each one can carry a thousand people."

"That's because you've never been on any of our starships," said Lukas, "both modern and outdated. Trust me, they're all bigger on the inside," he looked at The Doctor, "did you honestly think that your people had a monopoly on dimensionally transcendental technology?"

"No," said The Doctor, "but we did it first."

"Start loading our people onto the ships," said Karl to Jessika and Lukas, "I'll be with you soon, I have some business to conclude."

"Rodger!" said both Jessika and Karl. With that they began directing the civilians to the starships.

"Now, Doctor," said Karl, "if you and your companions would follow me, I'll reunite you with your time ship."

"So you're really giving back The TARDIS?" Amy asked.

"I'm a man of my word," said Karl. He held out his hand, "this is goodbye, Doctor. I'm sorry that we had to meet under such horrific circumstances, but I'm glad we did."

"Likewise," said The Doctor as he shook hands with Karl, "good luck leaving your people, and don't be so quick to give up whenever things start to go wrong, you might just be surprised on how they turn out."

"I'll remember that," said Karl. He then shook hands with Amy and Rory, whom also offered words of luck.

But then Aiden spoke as they shook hands, "I'm not going to tell you exactly how things turn out for your people by my time."

"Good, because I'm not going to ask," said Karl, "just get back to your time and right whatever wrong you have to, and if you can help the Hakonians in your time, please do."

"I'll do that if I can," said Aiden.

Just then one of the rebels in Karl's group ran up, "boss, we've got trouble. Some of the nobles have hooked up with elements of The Enforcement Bureau."

"I figured there'd be more than a few diehard nobles," said Karl, "and of course, they'd keep their dirty dogs as well."

"Well it's worse," said the rebel, "they've also linked up with some military personnel."

"So we have to deal with some reserve solders," said Karl, "and men on leave."

"These aren't normal soldiers," said the rebel in a tone that spoke of dire seriousness, "they're with the Planetary Defense Division."

"That's still no reason to panic," said Karl, "all of the defense systems for Hakonian Prime went down when we lost the Computer Core."

"This isn't about the satellite and ground based masers," said the rebel, "or about the ion cannons. It's about the ICBM's."

"You've got nuclear missiles?" Rory asked.

"Only as a last resort against invaders," said Karl, "there are thousands of missile silos at key positions across the planet, each equipped with…with…" he looked at Jessika, "what are the missiles equipped with?"

"Each missile has eight warheads," said Jessika, "and each warhead is in the 50 megaton range. But the missiles are useless without the Computer Core to program and activate the launching sequence."

"The nobles don't need to launch a missile," said the rebel, "they just need to set a few on fire, or just the warheads."

"Oh crap," said a shocked Karl, "that would really finish us."

"Not really," said The Doctor, "we'd still have time, but not much."

"What are you talking about?" Aiden asked, "how can burning a missile hurt us?"

"It's the nuclear material in the warheads," said Jessika, "the refined plutonium, it's all highly radioactive, and if you set fire to radioactive material, the radiation could spread on the smoke, and once it gets into the atmosphere, it could spread across the planet.

"And worse, darkness forbid, they try to manually set a warhead off. They can do that if they're crazy enough to try some rewiring and have a backup generator."

"They wouldn't do that," said Amy, "I mean, they can't be that crazy and irresponsible, are they?"

Just then came a blinding flash off to the distant west. Everyone shielded their eyes against the nuclear flash that occurred just beyond the horizon. After a minute or so the flare faded, only to be replaced by a mushroom cloud that rose high into the air.

"Please tell me that the wind is going the other way," said a desperate sounding Karl.

"I'm more worried about an electromagnetic pulse," said Jessika.

"It happened on land, so no EMP," said The Doctor, "though it would have made things that much more interesting for us. As for the wind…" he did a quick scan of the air with his Sonic Screwdriver, "expect a mild and balmy wind out of the south-southeast at 10mph, with highs in the low 80's for the rest of the evening."

"Okay, time has officially ran out," said a nervously sweating Lukas, "there's a silo complex less than five miles from here."

"You had us put one of our safe houses next to a bunch of missiles?" Jessika asked Karl.

"I didn't know where the silos were," said Karl, "hardly anyone knew, there hasn't been an attack on Hakonian Prime in eons!"

"Will you all just shut it for one minute already!" snapped The Doctor, "you're all acting like idiots, squabbling around whenever something goes wrong. Well acting like chickens who just had their heads cut off won't do you any good. So just pull yourselves together and get out of here already."

Just then one of the rebels ran up to Karl and the others, "the Enforcement Bureau, they just broke into the nuke site! And Dunkan is leading them!"

"They can hotwire a nuke in a matter of minutes," said Lukas.

"And they're going to set one of the warheads off," said Karl, "taking us with it."

"Not if we stop them first," said The Doctor, "right, Karl, you get as may people on your ships as you can and take off, don't wait any longer than necessary. Amy, Rory, Aiden, you go with the first ship that's ready to leave."

"What? No!" exclaimed Amy, "no way are we leaving you behind to get blown up in a nuclear fireball!"

"I'm especially not leaving," said Aiden in an irate tone, "just let me at that psycho, Dunkan, I'll stop him."

"And you're certainly not leaving me behind," said Rory, "someone has to look after all of you."

"Face it, Doctor," said Amy as she stubbornly crossed her arms, "you're not abandoning us."

"You are so Scottish, Pond," said The Doctor, "right then, we've got a madman with a weapon of mass destruction to stop."

"But how are you going to stop him?" Jessika asked, "Dunkan must have most of his inner circle and scores of Enforcement Bureau goons with him. By the time we fight our way past them Dunkan could have set off dozens of warheads by then."

"Not if we get there first," said The Doctor, "right, to the TARDIS, people, we'll be there in a micro-flash."

"About time," said Rory as they headed to the warehouse.

"Doctor!" Karl shouted after them, "thank you, for everything."

"Thank us when you're off world," said The Doctor, "and don't wait for anything! Just go!" With that the four travelers went into the warehouse. A few rebel Hakonians were packing up vital equipment they thought they would need for the evacuation, completely ignoring The Doctor, Aiden, Amy and Rory.

"There she is!" said Amy as they spotted The TARDIS, which was standing right in the middle of the warehouse floor.

"I never thought I'd be so happy to see a big blue box," said Aiden as they ran over to The TARDIS. They got there and The Doctor pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door.

They all ran inside and The Doctor immediately went to the control panel, "hello, beautiful," said The Doctor as he flipped some switches and pressed some buttons, "did you miss me?"

As if in response, the central column began rising and falling with the familiar groaning and wheezing sound.

"So what's the plan, Doctor?" Amy asked.

"We go in and stop the enemy from setting of a nuclear warhead," said The Doctor as he threw a lever that sent the deck of the control room lurching to the left, "and we'll be there in a flash!"

"I'm ready when you are," said Aiden as he got his Keyblade out.

* * *

><p><strong>…New Hallow Bastion…<strong>

"The time has come," said Maleficent, "to bring about the final chapter in this drama. We shall initiate the invasion of Twilight Town. The final princess shall be captured, and the fools who dared to defy the darkness shall finally meet their doom!"

"About time if you ask me," said Gideon, "so, when do we begin?"

"'We' will do nothing," said Maleficent, "when I said 'we' I was indicating myself and myself alone. You shall have no part in this battle, other than as an observer."

"What?" Gideon asked, "after all we've been through, when we're so close to victory, you're going to leave me high and dry?"

"Your repeated failures have made you completely unacceptable to partake in this affair more than necessary," said Maleficent, "the only value you now have to me is to complete the ritual to summon Kira, nothing more, nothing less."

"So that's it," said Gideon in an annoyed tone, "we've finally come to the moment where one of us betrays the other. I believe I'm the one betrayed."

"Where as you had planned to place me under your control from the very beginning!" snapped Maleficent, "as I told you before, I allowed you to believe that you were manipulating me because it was amusing. Well I am no longer amused. It took far too long to capture the new princesses of heart, and the foolish heroes came far too close to securing The Sacred Talisman of Zumakalis."

"You saw what happened on Traverse Town," said Gideon, "the talisman wasn't in the vault! Scott and Ramona took it! And it's not my fault that the brats took too long to capture. Matthew, Lucas and the others, they.."

"I am fed up with your excuses!" snapped Maleficent, "you and you simpering words of supplication to your so called god of a new world. I know the truth of Light Yagami. He believes himself a god of justice and righteousness."

"You lie!" snapped Gideon, "Kira is darkness, the true master of all evil. You are no mistress! Kira is the master! Kira is god!"

"Silence!" snapped Maleficent as her staff crackled with purple lightning, "or you die now!"

"If you wish to harm Mr. Graves," said The Negotiator as he stepped in between Maleficent and Gideon, "you'll have to destroy me first."

"It'd be my pleasure," said Maleficent, "I can destroy you, and them destroy your next biots, and all the biots to come. Yes, I know now where Gideon has set up his cloning lab," she smiled viciously, "as we speak, my forces are taking control of the lab, the DNA stores and the growing tanks. I have prepared spells that will be placed on all future biots, making them completely obedient to me."

"You can't do that!" exclaimed both Gideon and The Negotiator.

"She's the mistress of all evil," said Xorat, "she can do whatever she wants."

"Indeed," said Maleficent, "yes, I can do anything I want, and I can take complete control of this situation."

"You're lying!" insisted Gideon, "you can't possibly have found my biot lab," he looked at The Negotiator, "has she?"

The Negotiator looked at his PDA and his face paled at the data on the screen, "it's true, she has complete control of the lab, and she's placing her controlling spells on all the biots in the tank. The new Kiraxi, the reborn League of Evil Exes, my future replacements, they all belong to Maleficent now."

"Just as you belong to me, Gideon Graves," said Maleficent, "and soon your Kira will belong to me as well."

"How?" Gideon, "how could you be doing this? How could you have outsmarted me so badly? I'm Gideon 'G-Man' Graves for frak's sake!"

"I've had you outsmarted ever since your envoy first arrived here," said Maleficcent as she smiled viciously, "plans within plans, Gideon, plans within plans."

"Any chance you can let me in on some of those plans?" Kairi asked. All the while she had been sitting there, letting the healing items restore her energies, waiting and hoping for a chance to free herself, but so far none have presented themselves, "I'm going to die anyway, so what's the harm?"

"As if I would be foolish to reveal to you my plans," said Maleficent, "no more than what you already know. And yes, you will die, as soon as one of my plans comes to fruition."

Just then The Negotiator's PDA beeped, "The new Kiraxi is ready. She's just left the tank and is on her way up here."

"Is my mating with that creature absolutely necessary?" Xorat asked in an uncomfortable tone, "the idea of intimacy is just…unappealing to me."

"Not to worry, my dear Xorat," said Maleficent, "you will not have to worry about intimacy at all. Once the final princess has been brought here, you will have no qualm about mating. In fact, you will have nothing to worry about at all. I will make it so that all that is needed for you to mate is a single touch."

"Mating with a single touch?" The Negotiator asked, "that's biologically impossible! Kiraxi may be an evil biot, but she still has the anatomy of a human being. She has to go through the normal acts of reproduction of she is to have offspring."

"The physical act of love will have no place in the realm of darkness," said Maleficent, "and especially not here in my house. I shall alter both Xorat and Kiraxi so to create offspring, they need only to touch hands. My dark magic will do the rest."

"But how will it be done?" The Negotiator asked.

"Who cares?" Xorat asked, "the idea of doing the nasty makes me ill. The mistress has offered me an alternative, so I'm taking it."

Just then the door opened and the new Kiraxi walked into the room. She was identical to the previous Kiraxi in every physical way. The only difference was that while the old Kiraxi was a genuine psychopath, the new one was calm, cold, almost devoid of all emotion. She walked into the middle of the room, her face flat and without expression.

"I live to serve you, oh mistress of all evil," said Kiraxi in a neutral tone.

"She's an improvement from the last one," said Kairi, "but still a monster, I can tell that there's noting in her heart but darkness."

The new Kiraxi ignored Kairi completely and she again spoke to Maleficent, "I await your command, great one."

"And you will receive my commands, dear Kiraxi," said Maleficent, "but first you will need your progenitor's power," she then looked at the energy draining chair that Kiari was strapped into and activated it with a spell.

Kairi gasped in pain as she felt her life's energy slowly being leached out of her. At the same time, the new Kiraxi inhaled deeply as the stolen energy began flowing into her.

"How long will it be fore she's got all of Kairi's life energy?" Gideon asked. Although he had lost control of the situation and was now at Maleficent's mercy, he was still curious as to how things were progressing.

"The same amount of time as the last one," said Maleficent, "long enough for Kairi to witness the destructions of all whom she holds dear."

"Sora and the others won't die so easily," said Kairi.

"We shall see," said Maleficent, "we shall see." She then called up an image of the seemingly endless throngs of Heartless and Nobodies in the streets of the dark city. "Your friends shall fall, and a new age of darkness will rise!" she then raised her staff and used it to create a massive Dark Corridor. The throngs of dark creatures began marching through the portal.

* * *

><p><strong>…The Old Mansion…Twilight Town…a few minutes ago…<strong>

As the alliance of heroes made their preparations for their invasion of the realm of darkness, several of them sensed that something terrible was going to happen. Nate and the other Stand users, some of the supers with mental abilities, Rei, Hakura, Michru, just to name a few.

Another who sensed the danger was Laura Hurst, whom was talking with Tyler Spartan has he outfitted Robbie Ray with a MECS suit, while Lilly and Oliver were taking a quick break from their mentl exercises. The combat unit enhanced by magic began with a full body suit of black spandex-like material with dozens of metal studs. Each stud had a wireless link to the wearer's nervous system, allowing nural input and feedback.

After the body suit came the individual parts of the actual combat system, which looked like a futuristic suit of armor. The suit covered the entire body with a grayish silver metal that was capable of enduring incredible amounts of damage. The armor could also be outfitted with different weapons; shoulder-mounted missile launchers, wrist mounted lasers and a helmet that had a view screen that could see in multiple spectrums.

"You'll also have this bad boy," said Tyler as he indicated what looked like an oversized chain gun, "this here is the Big Force Gun 3500. It's basically an auto-cannon that you can carry. Once the suit is powered up, you'll be able to carry it like it was almost nothing."

"And all this will work against those Heartless things?" Robbie Ray asked as the piece of armor were attached to the body suit, "I thought they were immune to bullets."

"Normally yes," said Emery Quin in a slightly distant tone, his mind mostly on the warning of danger he was sensing, "bullets can't hurt them, but these aren't normal guns."

"We've found that any weapon or fighting style in which someone puts their heart into is highly effective against Heartless and Nobodies," said Tyler, "especially when it's combined with magic."

"You'd think that that wouldn't work," said Robbie Ray, "magic and science, it's like putting a bobcat and a hound dog together in the same room. They just wouldn't get along."

"We've had time to work out the kinks in getting magic and science to work together," said Tyler, "ask Hermione, she's been a huge help in bridging the gap."

Elsewhere, Violet Baudelaire was instructing Jackson in the operation of her Mark 3 GKX battle mech; a large biped mechanoid five meters tall with a cockpit and two arms. On the sides were different weapon pods, some containing lasers, others had missiles.

"So basically it's all a matter of keeping it balanced," said Violet Baudelaire, "if it winds up on its back, it'll take time to get back up."

"So I won't fall down," said Jackson as he looked at the mech in an admiring manner, not really paying attention to what Violet was saying.

"Pay attention!" snapped Violet Baudelaire, "I invested a lot of time and money into this machine and I won't have it destroyed by a slacking moron like you!"

"Then why are you telling me how to use it?" Jackson asked.

"Because I believed that you wanted to save your sister," said Violet, "that you wanted to make a difference against the darkness. But since you'd rather just goof off and make a fool of yourself, consider the matter closed," she then pointed a remote controller at the mech and powered it down, "I'm sorry we wasted both our times, Jackson Rod Stewart."

"No, I never said I didn't want to do this," said Jackson in an insisting manner, "I do want to save Miley and the others."

"Then pay attention, for crying out loud," said a slightly exasperated Violet Baudelaire, "you still don't grasp the gravity of what you're getting yourself into. This machine has the power to cause mass destruction. You could end up killing those on your side, friends and family, if you misuse the mech. That's why you need to learn as much as you can about the machine, how to use it safely, or you might just kill your friends rather than your foes."

"I understand," said Jackson, "and I do appreciate your helping me," he smiled, "now, let's get back to work so we can stop the darkness."

"That's the spirit!" said Violet Baudelaire in a cheerful tone, "now," she then used a small holographic projector to call up 3D image of the controls of the Goliath. The main controls did indeed look like a Dual Shock controller, but there were other control panels above and to the side of the main controls.

"Now," said Violet Baudelaire, "the left analog stick controls movement; forward, backwards, left, right, you get the idea. The right stick rotates the cockpit 360 degrees. The A button fires the main weapon, the lasers, while the B button activates the jump jets. You can remain airborne for up to 30 seconds before the jets are exhausted, but they're rechargeable.

"The X button fires the missiles and the Y button, that fires a third weapon that I haven't had time to install. The L1 and R1 buttons select targets, while the L2 and R2 buttons select targets for the third weapon, so they're pretty much useless in this case.

"Now, on the side pannels are two joysticks. These operate the manipulator arms. The front panel has the starter switch and regulates the power and overall status of the machine. The view screen shows the targeting system, ammo and fuel supplies and damage status. Any questions so far?"

"Just one," said Jackson, "where do I plug in my cell phone charger?"

At that Violet Baudelaire sighed with annoyance and placed her head in her hand, "this is going to be a long day," she said in an exasperated tone.

Meanwhile inside the old house, in a formerly abandoned room, Professor von Drake has set up his lab. All along the walls were dozens of computers that were connected to a large glass tank that was filled with saline. The lid of the tank had dozens of wires and I.V. tubes leading out from it, as well as a large hose attacked to an oxygen mask.

"So I just step into the tank," said Jake, wearing a gray bathrobe over a pair of black swim trunks, "put on the breather unit, let the wires and tubes attach themselves to me and let whatever you're going to do to me do it, right?"

"In a nutshell, young man," said von Drake as he inputted some data into a control consul, "and you shouldn't have that long to wait. Before my modifications, the process would take days, weeks even. But now you will be transformed in approximately one hour."

"Only an hour?" Sora asked.

"In truth the actual transformation from human into Tekkaman would take mere minutes," said von Drake, "The Radam used organic machines in the form of large plants to mutate the human into the Tekkaman. What took so long was the mutating of the mind and heart into a creature of darkness. What will be done here is merely giving young Jake here the knowledge he needs."

"Incredible," said Young Watari, "And to think that this technology was used to create living weapons of mass destruction. Now it will create a warrior of light."

"This will end in tears," said Scrooge McDuck, "I still say this is a bad idea, one that just won't work."

"I'll be the judge of that," said Alice, whom on a whim decided to come and watch, "if anything goes wrong I'll see it coming and the professor can stop it."

"That's right," said Sora, "if anything goes wrong, it can be stopped."

"Yes, it can be stopped," said von Drake in a slightly unsure tone.

"You can stop it if it goes wrong, right?" Jake asked the professor, "right?"

"Of course I can stop it," said von Drake in a slightly annoyed tone, "what, do you think I'm so crazy that I would subject an innocent boy to a potential death trap?" at that he chuckled, "of course not. Yes, if things look like they're going to end badly, " he pointed to a control panel, one with a big red button, "I'll just press this little jewel here and Jake will spill out of the take, safe and sound."

"Oh, alright," said Jake, "then let's get started," he took off the bathrobe, climbed up to the top of the tank, slid into it and put the breathing mask on and completely immersed himself into the tank. He the gave Sora, von Drake and the others the thumbs up.

"Now we can begin," said von Drake as he pressed a green button on the control panel. The lid of the tank closed and the wires and IV tubes began attaching themselves to Jake.

The control panel had a microphone in which the processor could talk to Jake, "you will feel some discomfort as the wires and needles insert themselves to you, but it will pass soon."

Jake nodded and endured the stinging and pinches of the needles and wires. Within seconds they were all attached to his arms, legs, chest, back and neck, while more wires were attached to his head.

"Now the real fun begins," said von Drake as he pressed a blue button, then spoke into the microphone as the machinery attached to the tank began humming loudly, "this won't be pleasant at all, but it'll only last a few seconds, so bare with me."

Again Jake nodded. Just then a bright blue liquid flowed through the I.V. tubes and entered Jake's body, while at the same time the wires began glowing with bright blue energy that flowed into him.

At that time a computer screen showing Jake's vital statistics; heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and brainwaves, began going crazy as the energies and liquid saturated his system.

Another computer screen showed a digital representation of Jake's DNA. New genetic material began attaching to the existing genes.

"He's okay," said Alice, "keep going."

"His pulse and blood pressure are way above normal," said Young Watari, "according to his brainwaves, he's in agony."

"Stop it now!" said Scrooge, "he won't survive."

"Yes he will!" said Alice, "I've seen it, he's going to be alright."

Sora could tell by the way Jake was thrashing about in the tank that he was enduring tremendous amounts of pain, but Sora could see in Jake's eyes that he was willing to go all the way.

Just then vertical lines of blue energy began forming on Jake's body, one running down his center and others positioned at equal distances on his left and right.

"Is this normal?" Sora asked.

"I honestly don't know," said von Drake, "I've never done this before."

"You're telling us this now!" both Scrooge and Young Watari exclaimed.

But then there was a blue flash inside the tank. When it cleared, Jake was encased in what appeared to be a white, seamless suit of organic armor with a long, blue horizontal crystal where his eyes should be.

"That's the protoform of the Tekkaman," said von Drake, "according to my calculations, we're right where we're supposed to be," he then pressed a button on the computer and the wires attached to Jake's head began pulsing with yellow energy, "he's now being fed the information. The downloading and processing should be completed within the hour."

"'Should be completed?'" Sora asked.

"It depends on how his brain works," said von Drake, "but he's fine and will be fine."

"He'll be more than fine," said a grinning Alice, "he'll be magnificent, and that's just the way I like it."

Just then Lilly, Oliver and Laura Hurst walked into the room, "They insisted on seeing if Jake was alright, and look," he pointed to the tank, "he's alright."

"You call that alright?" Lilly asked in an exasperated tone, "he's all mutated and stuff!"

"Miley is so gonna freak when she sees this," said Oliver.

"He'll be fine," said Alice, "as soon as he's done, Jake will revert back to human. He'll then be able to change back and forth at will."

"I told you there was nothing to worry about," said Laura Hurst, "now, can we get back to your exercises? You've made astonishing progress, but there's still a lot to do."

"You've learned how to use your powers?" Sora asked Lilly and Oliver.

"A bit," said Oliver. Then looked at a pen sitting on one of the compute consoles and made it levitate several feet into the air.

Lilly then made a paperclip hover and rotate rapidly in the air.

"It's more than a bit," said Lilly, "but it's still cool."

"And there's more that you can do," said Laura, "but you'll never go any further if you don't stay on task," she sighed in annoyance, "and it'd be better if I knew what this feeling of approaching dread is all about."

"What feeling of approaching dread?" Alice asked, "I have seen anything coming at us."

"Most meta humans with psychic abilities," said Laura, "especially the stronger ones, Scanners, can sense danger coming, but only the feeling of danger. It's not until the danger is almost right on top of us that we have a more clear idea of what that danger is all about." She then tensed, sensing something new and terrible, "and that time is now!"

Alice then blinked in shock as a vision hit her, "they're coming!"

* * *

><p>Several hundred meters above the world the oversized Dark Corridor opened up, spilling hordes Heartless and Nobodies out. It was as if the realm of darkness had been forced open, vomiting it's residents onto those who walk in the light.<p>

The hordes of dark creatures landed at the various parts of the town, frightening the people of the world nearly out of their minds. But then they were stuck with confusions as the Heartless and Nobodies seemed to ignore the people. Instead, the dark creatures began marching through the streets of Twilight Town, through the various areas and converging on one specific point, The Old Mansion.

* * *

><p>"They'll here for Usagi!" said Emery Quin.<p>

"Over my dead body!" said Mamoru, while the other Sailor Senshi stood around Usagi.

"I can tell that they've got one of two plans going," said Mr. Incredible, "they're going for a planned attack, or they're going to overwhelm us."

"My money's on the later," said Nate.

"Then this is where we make our stand," said Harry as he and his fellow wizards and witches took out their wands, "here and now!"

"I couldn't agree more, man," said Ryoga as he and the other Neon Knights, Akane, Ranma and the Stand Users got ready. At the same time all nine Sailor Senshi transformed. Within minutes all of the gathered heroes were ready for what was to come.

"Looks like you're going to have to learn the rest of the mech operations on the go," said Violet Baudelaire to Jackson as everyone was getting ready.

"Now?" Jackson asked, "I mean, isn't there anything else I need to know?"

"Just one thing," said Violet Baudelaire as she tossed a key to Jackson, the key to star the Goliath, "don't die."

"You're as ready as you're going to be, Robbie Ray Stewart," said Tyler Spartan as he helped finish setting up Robbie Ray's MECS suit and turned it on, "just remember, don't overcompensate. This isn't like a suit of armor, it's more like your favorite clothes. Just focus on the battle, and let the suit do the rest of the work."

"Right," said Robbie Ray as the helmet of the suit was placed on his head, "no pressure."

"Oh, and make sure you keep an eye on the suit's temperature," said Tyler as he was outfitted with a MECS suit of his own, "it tends to creep up during extended battle. If you're not careful, you could end up stewed in your own juices."

"Now I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving with Mamaw," said Robbie Ray.

* * *

><p>"There's too many for me to see," said Alice as she closed her eyes in concentration, "we'll be surrounded in minutes."<p>

"Then we'll have to figure out a way out of this," said Sora, "I'm going out to fight."

"I'm right behind you," Alice, "if we're going down, let's take as many of those horrible things as we can."

"We're with you, Sora!" said Oliver, while Lilly nodded in agreement.

"No you're not!" insisted Laura Hurst, "you've just started with your powers. Sure, you've made a lot of progress, but you're nowhere ready to fight. You've got to work on your stamina. At this point, if you try to fight, you'll exhaust your energies and you won't be able to fight at all. There's also the risk of overexerting yourself and burning your powers out. You could lose your abilities before you've had a chance to truly get to know them."

"She's right, guys," said Sora, "you shouldn't risk your powers, not on this."

"Are you kidding?" Oliver asked, "of course we're going to risk it."

"We couldn't do anything to protect Miley," said Lilly, "we were completely helpless, like newborn puppies, while she was taken from us. But we can do something now."

"Even if it's just a little bit, we can fight," said Oliver, "we still want to fight."

"We know what we're getting into," said Lilly, "well, okay, we really don't know everything that we're getting into. But we're still going to fight. You'll have to tie us down to stop us."

"You won't be able to change their minds," said Alice, "they're going to be part of this battle."

"And chance you can tell if we'll come out of the battle alive?" Lilly asked.

"Not yet," said Alice, "I can see that there's going to be so much happening, I can barely make sense of half of it."

At that Laura Hurst sighed in reluctance, "alright, I can tell that nothing I can say will change your minds," she looked at Lilly and Oliver, "just stay close to me and do as I say. If I tell you to duck, you duck. If I tell you to run and hide, you run and hide. You understand? There's no room for argument in this. You listen and do everything I say, understand?"

"Perfectly," said Lilly.

"Crystal clear," said Oliver.

"Then let's get going," said Laura, "and stay with me no matter what!" at that Lilly and Oliver nodded in agreement and they followed Laura out of the room.

"We'd better get going," said Sora to Alice, "they'll need us."

"They'll need you more than me," said Alice, "despite my visions. You're the leader, remember?"

"As if I could forget," said Sora. But then he looked at the tank, where the changing Jake still floated in, "what about Jake? Will he be alright?"

"He'll be perfectly fine," said professor von Drake, "so long as nothing disturbs the capsule."

"What happens if the tank is disturbed?" Young Watari asked.

"At best, nothing," said von Drake, "but at the worst, he could, as they say, buy the farm."

"Then be it on your head if anything happens to him, you demented duck!" exclaimed Scrooge, "I should lever have listened to you in the first place!"

"Fighting among yourselves won't help him," said Young Watari. He looked at Sora and Alice, "you to go outside and protect Usagi Tsukino. The house has its own defenses, and I'll set up a protective force field around the lab. Nothing will happen to Jake until he's ready to come out of the tank."

"How much longer will that be?" Sora asked.

"Approximately 55 more minutes," said von Drake.

"And then he'll be able to fight," said Alice, "and boy will he fight."

"Get going!" said Young Watari as he walked over to one of the computers and began inputting data, "I'll establish the shield once you're outside."

"Then let's go!" said Sora as he summoned his Keyblade. With that he and Alice ran out of the room.

"We'll be fine in here," said Young Watari as he pressed the button that set up the protective shield, the shield generators emerging from the walls of the lab.

"I'm more concerned for Sora and his friends," said Scrooge, "I've got a feeling that this will be the worst that they have faced yet, I'll bet my number one dime on it."

"Don't be so eager to throw your money away," said von Drake as he pressed a button on the main computer. The main screen then showed a chronometer counting down from 54 minutes, "all Sora and the others have to do is hold out until the new Tekkaman is ready. Boy, is the enemy is for one heck of a surprise!"

* * *

><p>Sora and Alice ran outside the house and saw Riku, Tess and all the other heroes standing around the house in a defensive pattern, waiting for both the enemy, and for Sora.<p>

"We're all ready here, Sora," said Riku, "whatever Maleficent is throwing at us, we're ready."

"Willing and able," said Tess.

"Right," said Sora. He then looked at all the heroes, "I'm glad that we're all here to face this together, for that's how we'll get through it, together!"

"That and some heavy weapons," said Tyler Spartan as he and a few other BPRD warriors hefted their large machine guns, rocket launchers and lasers.

"And one sweet ride!" said Jackson as the cockpit door to the Goliath closed and the mech powered up.

"We're all ready, Sora," said Max as he checked to see that his revolver was fully loaded. He spun the cylinder for luck and holstered the gun.

"Just tell us what to do," said Hayner, while Pence and Olette nodded in agreement, "and we'll do it."

"No matter what happens, Sora," said Roxas, "we believe in you."

"All the way," said Naminé.

One by one all the heroes nodded their readiness for battle. Sora could only feel proud at all his friends.

But then the first of the hordes of Heartless and Nobodies appeared. There were purebloods like Neo Shadows and Invisibles, but also embalms such as Defenders, Wyverns, Armored Knights, and well over a dozen other varieties.

As for the Nobodies, there were representatives of every known type; Creepers, Samurai, Dragons, Sorcerers, Crawlers, Berserkers and so on.

Sora and the others braced themselves for the attack, but the dark creatures didn't attack just yet. They instead began circling the Old Mansion, maintaining a distance of 50 meters from the edge of the house grounds.

"What are they doing?" Hayner asked, "are they trying to scare us or something?"

"They already have us outnumbered," said Edward as more and more Heartless and Nobodies poured into the area, "this is just overkill."

"I'll bet they're trying to frighten us," said Lance, "make us so scared that we won't attack."

"They're doing a good job on that," said a nervous Sailor Moon.

"They won't lay a finger on you, Usako," said Tuxedo Kamen.

"We'll die before they reach you," said Sailor Uranus, while Sailor Neptune nodded in agreement.

"No," insisted Sailor Moon, "I won't have my friends die for me again! I won't let you guys sacrifice yourselves!"

"Hey, your friends aren't the only ones here you know," said Lilly.

"We're all in this together," said Oliver, "Like Sora said."

"Stand together, fall together, it all means that we're in for a hell of a battle," said Neville.

"And we've been through a lot," said Angelina.

It was then that the horde of dark creatures had completely surrounded the house, and stopped.

It was a tense moment as the army of Heartless and Nobodies faced against the vastly smaller force of heroes, with those who walked in the light anxiously waiting for the dark ones to make a move.

"What are they waiting for?" Emmet asked, "why don't they attack? They've got us right where they want us."

* * *

><p><strong>…New Hollow Bastion…<strong>

"What are you waiting for?" Gideon asked, "you've got them right where you want them. Attack! Crush them!"

"Not just yet," said Maleficent, "let them stew in their own anxieties for a moment."

"Then you'll get them," said Gideon, "right? Or are you just going to prolong their fear and my boredom?"

"If you're so bored," said Maleficent, "then go occupy yourself elsewhere so you don't interrupt me while I offer my final ultimatum."

"You're giving them an ultimatum?" Xorat asked, "why, mistress? They won't surrender."

"I only wish to respect the proper forms," said Maleficent, "it would be unseemly of me to not offer a final chance to atone for their foolish behavior and acknowledge me as their true overlord."

"You'll never get them to bow an inch!" snapped Kairi, "not even a millimeter!"

"Shall I gag my progenitor, mistress?" Kiraxi asked.

"Let her speak all she wishes," said Maleficent, "it will do her little good." she then cast a spell that sent her image across reality.

* * *

><p>In front of the ranks of dark creatures the image of Maleficent appeared.<p>

"So that's Maleficent," said one of the supers, "so not scary."

"This is just an image of her," said Riku, "the real one is much, much worse."

"Impudent fools from across existence!" said Maleficent, "I, the mistress of all evil, have appeared before you to offer you this ultimatum. Lay down your arms and submit to my will, for my will shall soon become law throughout all worlds!

"I have six of the seven princesses of heart, you have the last one. Give her to me, and I will spare your lives. Refuse and I will take her by force, and you will all die here and now!"

"I think she's serious," said Lilly in a nervous tone.

"She's been serious since the beginning," said Sora.

"I should go," said Sailor Moon, "give myself up before anyone gets hurt."

"Now don't you start that again!" said an annoyed Sailor Mars. "You say that one more time and I'll tie you up and throw you down a deep, dark hole."

"Just checking to see if you're awake, Sailor Mars," said Sailor Moon.

"You're such a dumpling head, Sailor Moon," said an annoyed Sailor Mars.

"But we love you just the same," said Sailor Jupiter.

"I think she's starting to get impatient," said Lance as they all looked at Maleficent.

"Then let's go talk to her," said Tess, "keep her busy for as long as possible, so the rest of us can figure out a way to survive."

"I'll go," said Sora, "I am the leader, right?"

"I'll go with you," said Edward, "she may only be a projection so I cannot hear her thoughts, but I should be able to offer insight."

"I'll go as well," said Harry, "I've been face to face with more than one dark master."

"So have I," said Max Kildare.

"And we'll go with you too," said Riku, while Tess nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, guys," said Sora. With that he, Riku, Tess, Edward, Harry and Max walked forward towards the hordes of dark creatures and the projection of Maleficent.

"Sora!" shouted Donald, "remember! No frowns, no sad faces!"

"You mean like this?" Sora asked as he looked back. He then grinned in the same silly way he did all the way back on that first night in Traverse Town.

"That's it!" said a laughing Goofy, while Donald laughed as well.

"What was that all about?" Tess asked as they approached Maleficent.

"An old joke between friends," said Edward.

"Stop listening in on my head," said Sora. He then got serious as they soon found themselves face to face with the mistress of all evil.

"So, Sora," said Maleficent, "you've found yourself wearing the mantle of leadership. It's a pity that you won't be wearing it for long."

"As if you were capable of pity, you festering sack of pig vomit!" snapped Tess, "you goat sucking whore! You droning, milk-livered, tosspot coward! "

"You dare!" snapped Maleficent, "I should vivisect you on the spot!"

"Just try me!" snapped Tess.

"Easy, now," said Harry, "we're not here to sling insults."

"Yeah, we're just here to talk in circles," said Riku.

"For once we agree," said Maleficent. She then looked at Harry and Max, "I do not believe that we have had the pleasure of knowing your names."

"My name is for my friends and comrades," said Max, "my enemies call me Destructius Maximus, because when I face an enemy, I destroy it."

"I'm not so extreme," said Harry, "my name is Harry Potter, and if you don't know who I am, then good for you, because I've had to live with unintentional fame my whole life."

"Ah, yes, I do believe I know the name, Harry Potter," said Maleficent, "the one whom destroyed Lord Voldemort. That one had potential. I had planned to seek him out in an attempt to make an alliance. It is a shame I did not have the opportunity to make his acquaintance."

"If you had the chance to know Voldemort as I knew him," said Harry, "you'd want to get as far away from him as possible. He was pure evil, completely beyond remorse and redemption. You may be on par with Voldemort in some ways, but I doubt you'll surpass him."

"How so?" Maleficent asked, "when I am so close to ultimate victory."

"Voldemort also came close to ultimate victory," said Harry, "so close he could taste it. But his quest for victory, for immortality, lead to his downfall. His own actions made it so that I was the only one who could destroy him, and I did."

"You're setting yourself up for an epic fail too, Maleficent" said Max, "you told us to give up. Don't you get it? By telling us, the good guys, to give up, you're giving us the resolve to fight, and we will fight hard."

"You'll never get us to submit to you, Maleficent," said Sora as he confidently crossed his arms, "just as I know you'll never give back Kairi and the others."

"Then why persist in this dialog?" Maleficent asked, "I've made my peace gesture and you clearly have refused."

"Well I'm not done talking," said Tess irately, "and you're a dumbass for not demanding Kairi back, Sora," she looked at Maleficent as she took out her razor and opened it, "if you were here for real, I'd cut your throat."

"And I'd do whatever I'd had to do to get my friends back," said Riku.

"I wasn't done talking either," said Sora, "I know that Maleficent isn't going to give Kairi back," he looked at Maleficent, "which is why when this fight is over, I'm coming over to your place and I'm going to take Kairi and the others back, and if that means destroying you and Gideon, then I'm all for it."

"We're going to try and destroy you and Gideon either way," said Riku, "one way or another, Maleficent, you will be stopped!"

"Not if I destroy you all first," said Maleficent, "today I end this. I will take the last princess of heart, and I will send you all to the darkness!"

"You'll find that we're not so hard to kill," said Max.

"As so many others who walk in darkness have found out," said Harry.

"Then I shall be the first," said Maleficent, "to destroy those who have defied the darkness for far too long. This conversation serves no further purpose," she looked at Sora, Riku and Tess, "except for one final fact. As we speak, Kairi is watching events unfold."

"Kairi's seeing this?" Sora asked.

"She will witness your deaths," said Maeficent, "and then she will die herself!"

"What if we survive?" Riku asked, "are you still going to kill her."

"She will die regardless," said Maleficen.

Just then King Mickey and Ansem walked over, "she won't die," said Ansem, "not if I have anything to say about it."

"And what do you have to say about it, old man?" Maleficent asked, "you who thought you could drive me insane."

"You were crazy enough to begin with," said King Mickey, "as for Kairi, let's just say that while Sora and the others were getting ready, we've been working on a plan to save Kairi's life."

At that Maleficent laughed cruelly, "as if you can do anything to prevent her death. No, Kairi will die, I will it so, and her life will end after your lives will end."

"Oh for crying out loud," said an exasperated Teddy Lupin as he walked over, "what is it with you villains and your irrational mindset that you can do whatever you want without consequences? That you are beyond reason and justice? What gives you the right to do this to all of us?"

"The right that I am more powerful that all of you combined!" snapped Maleficent, "mine is the power to rule all, as is my destiny!"

"Destiny is open to interpretation," said Harry.

"Yell and rant at us all you want, Maleficent," said Sora, "you've got nothing that'll shake us up. We'll fight and win today, and then we're coming to rescue Kairi, Aiden and the others."

But then Maleficent smiled wickedly, as if a vile idea occurred to her, "would it bother you to know that your friend is no longer in either the realms of light or darkness?"

"What are you saying?" Tess asked, "where is he?"

"Gone," Maleficent said in a matter of fact, "beyond the reach of anyone here."

"If you're trying to mess with us by making us think that Aiden's dead," said Sora, "don't push your luck. He's not dead. I'd know if he was dead."

"Same with me," said Riku.

"And me," said Tess, "he's not dead, he's just lost. And I've got a feeling that we'll meet up with him soon."

At that Maleficent glared contemptuously at our heroes, "then there is nothing more to say," with that she vanished. Almost instantly the ranks of Heartless and Nobodies began to fidget and move about a bit, as if they were becoming restless.

"I think we're about to be given more than we asked for," said Tess as she looked at the rapidly agitating ranks of dark creatures.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," said Max, "back to the others."

"Harry," said Sora as they all walked back to the other heroes, "when you fought and defeated Voldemort, were you afraid that you'd lose? I'm not scared or anything, but I'd like to know."

"I was afraid," said Harry, "that night, when Voldemort and his Death Eaters threatened to overrun Hogwards in order to kill me, I knew that in order to save everyone, I had to go to him and let him kill me. It's way too complicated to tell right now, but I survived, but I was more frightened that night than I have ever been in my life, both before and after.

"But I overcame my fear and defeated Voldemort once and for all, because my friends and family were with me in heart, that and I went into the final battle with a better understanding of the situation."

"I've also dealt with fear," said Max, "not for my own life of course, but for those I'm trying to protect, for the whole world and other worlds."

"You're not afraid for your own life?" Tess asked, "are you crazy?"

"Nope," said Max, "just blessed, or cursed, depending on how you look at it. To make a long story short, I know exactly how I'm going to die. I don't know the exact date and time, but I know the circumstances in which I will die, and on this battlefield isn't how I die, and my fellow Ramblers feel the same way.

"We all share a gypsy blessing that protects our friendship and does harm to those who wish us harm, while also telling his how we will die. It's a mixed gift, but it's helped us a lot over the years."

"Let's hope it helps us now," said Riku.

"Sorry, it's a members-only blessing," said Max.

"It's okay," said Sora, "we'll make our own luck." They reached the others, "Well," Sora said to the assembled heroes, "they won't surrender." This earned a few laughs from the assembled heroes.

* * *

><p>"Impudent fools!" snapped Maleficent, "they will rue the day they dared to think they can mock me! Attack!"<p>

* * *

><p>Without a sound except for the rush of pounding feet and sparse wing flapping, the hordes of Heartless and Nobodies surged towards the heroes. Almost immediately Sora and the others felt a slight but not unpleasant pressure on their minds while their vision was tinted slightly blue.<p>

"You've got everyone shielded?" Rosalie asked Bella.

"I'm motivated alright," said Bella, "ain't no way any of us will have our minds attacked.

"This is it!" said Sora as he, Riku and Tess brought their Keyblades to bear.

"So who gets to go first?" Max asked.

"You fired first in our last battle," said Harry as he aimed his wand at the hordes of dark creatures, "_Expecto Patronum_!"

A larger than life stag made of pure silvery light erupted from Harry's wand and rushed at the charging Heartless and Nobodies. The second the stag made contact with the dark creatures they vanished, some in puffs of smoke, others emitting crystal hearts. The stag forced his way through the dark creatures, kicking and thrashing about with his antlers.

Most of the other wizards also cast their Patronus charms and several animals made of light rushed at the dark creatures, vanquishing them by the scores, but more kept coming.

"What are those things?" An amazed Tess asked.

"Happiness given life," said Teddy as he aimed his wand at the dark creatures, "For Victorie and Hogwarts! _Expecto Patronum_!" a large silvery wolf emerged from his wand and ripped into the droves of Heartless and Nobodies.

"How long can you keep that up?" Riku asked.

"As long as we keep thinking happy thoughts," said Harry, "which isn't as easy as it seems."

"Then let's make it easier for you," said Jacob as he tore his clothes off. "For Nessie!" he shouted then phased into his wolf form and then he and his pack charged at the dark creatures, ripping and tearing them apart.

"Save some for us!" said Alice as she, Emmet, Rosalie and Alice rushed at the dark creatures, doing their share of ripping and tearing, and biting as well.

"Now it's our turn!" said Lance. He slammed both his hands onto the ground as Emerald Mountain sent a focused earthquake at the dark creatures, shaking several Heartless and Nobodies apart.

"For Dream Valley!" said Nate as he clapped his hands together as Sapphire Torrent sent a massive water blast at the Heartless and Nobodies.

"For The Little Ponies!" said both David and Denise as Topaz Skye and Ruby Inferno created a large tornado of fire and sent it to burn the dark creatures.

"For Sara!" shouted Ranma as he ran at the masses of dark creatures and began destroying them, punching and kicking at everything that wasn't a friend.

"That jerk is gonna get himself killed!" shouted Akane as she hefted her oversized mallet and charged after Ranma, swinging away with reckless abandonment.

"Makes you wonder if she's still not quite over him," said Kyle.

"If there is one thing about the fair Akane Tendo," said Tatewaki, "is that she knows not when to let something go."

"Speak for yourself, brother dear," said Kodatchi.

"Less talking, more fighting!" Shampoo insisted.

"I agree!" said Adam, "for Miley!" with that the twelve Neon Knights charged into the dark masses.

"For Shielda!" shouted Mr. Incredible as he, Elastawoman, Speed Star and the other supers rushed into the ranks of Heartless and Nobodies.

"For Lyra!" shouted Will as he and Kirjava rushed into the hordes of dark creatures, he slaying with his sword and she slashing with her claws.

"I ain't got a battle cry," said Jackson, "so here I go!" he pulled the trigger on the weapons, firing missiles and lasers into the ranks of dark creatures, destroying them by the dozens. He and the others using long range attacks didn't need to worry about hitting their friends, because there were still so many Heartless and Nobodies out there.

Yet despite all the creatures our heroes were slaying, it barely made any difference. For every dark creature destroyed, another took its place, while in some cases two took their place.

"Time for this old hound dog to make his mark," said Robbie Ray as he hefted his oversized chain gun and fired into the ranks of the enemy, destroying dozens, "ye doggies! This is more fun than bareback riding on the 4th of July!"

"More like a videogame to me, Daddy!" said Jackson as he kept shooting the dark creatures.

"Don't get cocky!" said Max, "you'll only get yourself killed!" he pulled out his revolver, "I may not be dieing today, but I'll do my best to make sure that no one else does!" he rushed at the ranks of dark creatures, shooting and destroying six Neo Shadows. He holstered his revolver before crashing into the enemy, grabbed a Berserker and ripped it apart, before grabbing a defender and threw it at several Dancers, destroying them.

Several of the meta humans, the one with physical abilities, joined Max in the battle, while those with psychic abilities, launched long ranged attacks of their own, blasting the dark creatures with their minds.

"Stay with me!" shouted Laura to Lilly and Oliver as she psy-blasted a dozen Nova Shadows out of existence.

"Don't worry," said Oliver as he focused on a single Creeper. He concentrated on removing it from existence, and it vanished.

"We won't be running around like squawking chickens," said Lilly as she focused and destroyed a Wyvern.

"I think we're needed now," said Tess.

"What about Sailor Moon?" Sora asked, "we should stay back and keep her safe."

"I think she's protected well enough," said Riku. Sora then saw that Sailor Moon, with Tuxedo Kamen by her side, was encircled by her friends. Sailor Saturn was on Sailor Moon's other side, having projected her Silent Wall as a protective barrier. On the edge of the field was Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus, as well as Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune and Sailor Pluto, blasting the dark creatures with their signature moves.

"Mercury Aqua Rapsody!"

"Mars Flame Sniper!" "Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

"Space Sword Blaster!"

"Submarine Tide!"

"Dead Scream!"

Hundreds of Heartless and Nobodies died, but more and more kept coming. Slowly but surely the masses of dark creatures were pushing our heroes back towards the house, an inch here, a millimeter there.

"We're barely holding our own!" said Riku.

"Didn't Young Watari say that he improved the defenses of the house?" Tess asked.

"He did," said Ansem as he walked up to Sora and the others, "but what with the professor's project, I had to redirect power to the lab before I could activate the defense systems. However, having spent the past several minutes switching the defenses over to a secondary power supply, I can safely say," he pulled out a remote controller with several buttons on it, "that we are well in hand," he pressed the first button. There was the sound of multiple explosion deep among the ranks of dark creatures as hundreds were annihilated. More and more explosions destroyed more and more Heartless and Nobodies.

"A minefield," said Edward, "that is why you and Young Watari had those trees cut down.

"Indeed," said Ansem.

"Wait, mines don't need electricity," said Sora.

"But these do," said Ansem as he pressed the second button. Several hatches in the roof of the house opened up, revealing laser cannons that fired into the ranks of dark creatures, destroying hundreds more.

"That's a good reason to worry about power," said Riku.

"And now it's our turn!" said Teddy Lupin as he drew the sword of Godric Gryffindor and ran into the ranks of Heartless and Nobodies, slaying as he went along.

"Come on, Sora!" shouted Tess as she and Riku activated their armor. They then, followed by Donald and Goofy, rushed into the ranks of dark creatures, "the more the merrier!"

"Don't think you can have all the fun!" said Sora as he activated his armor and rushed into the fray. He soon found himself fighting beside Roxas, whom was destroying twice as many Heartless and Nobodies than the other fighters were, thanks to Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

"Having fun?" Sora asked as he sliced Neo Shadow in half, then swatted a Dragon out of the air.

"As if," said Roxas as he dueled a Samurai, "these guys actually worked for me. I've tried to get them to listen to me and fight for us, but Maleficent's hold on them is too strong," he then got behind the Samurai and destroyed it, "heck of a way to deal with a mutiny."

"It's not your fault," said Sora as he dodged a rampaging Berserker, "besides, as far as I'm concerned, you and Naminé aren't Nobodies any more. As far as I'm concerned, you both have hearts, always have."

"We don't really have hearts yet," said Roxas as he looked over backed towards the house, were Naminé was standing with the other spell casters, shooting beams of white magic at the dark creatures, "but thanks anyway."

Just then another set of the mines went off, destroying more Heartless and Nobodies, "We might just win this after all," said Sora confidently as he blasted a Armored Knight with a Blizzard spell.

* * *

><p>"I certainly didn't see this coming," said Gideon as he, Maleficent, The Negotiator, Kairi, Xorat and Kiraxi, watched the battle, "I mean, lasers and a mind field, that's something I wouldn't have though effective against Heartless."<p>

"That is why you are not in command of this battle," said Maleficent, "and I am still in command. The fools may think they have the advantage, but they are only playing into my hands."

"When are we to play a part in your plans, great one?" Kiraxi asked.

"Yes, when, oh mistress of all evil?" Xorat asked, "when are we to unleash our wrath onto the pathetic heroes?"

"You will not partake in the fighting," said Maleficent.

"Why not?" Xorat asked, "I am far more powerful than those pathetic mortals and immortals."

"There's still the last princess to capture," said Maleficent as she focused the image of the battle on Sailor Moon, "she is the key to ultimate victory. You, Xorat, and Kiraxi, are to wait until the right moment to capture here. But only move when I say so, and when you do, you are to completely focus on capturing the girl. You are far too important to my plans to risk destruction."

"If it is what you wish, it shall be done, oh great and terrible Maleficent," said Kiraxi.

"We will bring the girl to you," said Xorat, "and we will return without a scratch."

"I expect nothing less," said Maleficent.

"You'll never get close to Usagi!" said Kairi, "the other Sailor Senshi won't let you!"

"I have already set in motion the undermining of the defenses of the girl," said Maleficent, "she will be brought to me, no matter what."

* * *

><p>"We keep destroying them!" said Tess as she sliced the head off of a Sorcerer, then stabbed a Dark Ball in the mouth, but they won't stop coming!"<p>

"They will stop!" said Sora as he got behind a Fat Bandit and stabbed it in the back, "they always stop in the end!"

"But we've never fought a battle this big before," said Riku as he swatted a Crimson Jazz out of the air, then blasted a Dragon with his Dark Aura, "Not with so many enemies!"

"But we've got so many friends with us!" said Sora. He saw the Stand Users fighting side by side with the Neon Knights, supers, meta humans and wizards back to back to back, vampires and wolves, MECS warriors and gunslingers, and Jackson was having the time of his life destroying Heartless and Nobodies with a seemingly endless supply of ammo.

The lasers on the house also seemed to be tireless, while a handful of mines had still yet to detonate.

Sora saw Harry and Max side by side, the wizard blasting away with spells and the meta human shooting with his revolver.

Sora then saw Teddy and Jasper fighting back to back.

"I never would have believed myself an ally with a werewolf," said Jasper as he grabbed a Neo Shadow and ripped it apart. "literally. Your kind is nearly extinct on my world."

"I'm not surprised," said Teddy as he stabbed a Creeper with his sword, then zapped another with his wand, "werewolves are a minority on my world as well. Mostly we're vastly misunderstood creatures treated as monsters, when at heart we're people with a horrible condition. Mostly we live with it and try to live normal lives, but even after years of peace since the last Death Eater war, there are still some werewolves who choose to live as outlaws."

"But not you," said Jasper after grabbing a Large Body and tossing it into a squad of Air Soldiers.

"I'm of two worlds," said Teddy, "I've been accepted by wizards and those werewolves whom have embraced who they really are. Also, being able to change back and forth between human and werewolf at will tends to help."

"Would it help us if you were to change now?" Jasper asked, "I'm only curious."

"I could do it right now," said Teddy, "but even with control and a lucid mind, the change still hurts, a lot, and I won't be able to do anything for a few seconds once the change is complete, not until I get my wind back."

"Never mind then," said Jasper, "you seem to be doing well as you are."

"I should hope so," said Teddy.

As Sora and the others continued fighting, he heard a familiar voice resonating through his helmet.

"_Sora? Are you reading me? Over?"_

"Young Watari?" Sora asked, "what…how?"

"_I've recently been in contact with Tron," _said Young Watari, _"he told me that your armor had a communication feature that had yet to be activated. He also sent an upgrade package for your armor, one that'll make you better, stronger and faster."_

"That's great," said Riku as he blocked a Large Body with his Dark Shield, then got behind and destroyed it, "but we're in the middle of something important right now."

"_I know, but bare with me," _said Young Watari, _"first of all, professor von Drake says that Jake needs only 20 more minutes until he's ready to come out. He'll be able to fight almost immediately afterwards."_

"He only needs 20 minutes?" Tess asked, "how long have we been fighting?"

"About half an hour," said Riku, "what's the other thing you want to talk about?"

"_There's the upgrades for your armor,"_ said Young Watari, _"I just need you three to stop fighting for a few minutes, then you'll be able to use the new features. But to start the downloading process all three of you will have to deactivate your armor."_

"You want us to stop fighting?" Riku asked.

"_Only for a few minutes,"_ said Young Watari, _"less if I can increase the download speed."_

"I think this is a bad idea," said Tess, "there's still so many enemies here, we can't let everyone else shoulder our burden, even if it only for a few minutes."

"But it'll help us fight better," said Riku, "and that'll make the wait worth while."

"Then it's up to me," said Sora, "alright, we'll do it. Riku, Tess, we need to stop fighting for a bit."

"Whatever you say, boss," said Tess. She, Riku and Tess vanished their Keyblades and jumped away from the battle, with Sora shortly behind them. They meet up closer to the house, where a makeshift med station was set up and Dr. Aaron Spartan was treating the handful of wounded heroes that haven't been treated with healing items or healing spells.

"There's just no substitute for common sense medicine," said Aaron as he used an advanced medical probing tool to knit a broken bone on one of the BPRD warriors, "that and advanced technology."

"But sometimes a touch of magic is needed," said one of the wizards, a healer named Ernie Macmillian as he prepared a blood replenishing potion for a super who had a major artery pierced.

Sora, Riku and Tess then deactivated their armor. Young Watari's voice could be heard through their watches, _"I've resumed the downloading process. It should be finished in ten minutes."_

"That long?" Sora asked, "are you sure?"

"_Mostly sure," _said Young Watari, _"but then your watches will have to shut reboot in order for the new programs to finish instillation, which will take at least three more minutes, so don't do any fighting or anything that could damage your watches."_

"Can't we just take them off?" Riku asked.

"_Not a good idea,"_ said Young Watari, _"Taking them off while they're receiving the new data would be the same as cutting the power to a computer without properly shutting it down, it could damage the systems, possibly permanently."_

"So we're stuck here for a while," said Tess, "that sucks."

"At least we'll have company," said Sora. He saw Laura helping Oliver and Lilly over to the med station, both of them looking like they had just ran a marathon.

"I told you two that this was a bad idea," said Laura as she helped Lilly and Oliver sit down, "you used up your energies. It'll be a while before you can even stand up straight, let alone fight."

"Well excuse me for wanting to do my best," said Oliver.

"It's not as if you told us where our limits would be," said Lilly.

"What I told you was that each psychic's limit was different," said Laura, "and you've reached yours. Now you need to sit down and rest for a while, at least fifteen minutes."

"Well that just plain stinks," said Lilly, "everyone else is still fighting," just then a few more of the heroes were brought to the med station for healing, "well, almost everyone."

* * *

><p>"Now is when I make the deciding move," said Maleficent, "a significant number of the fools have left the battle, creating an opening in which I shall exploit."<p>

"Then we are to capture the waif now?" Xorat asked.

"Yes," said Maleficent, "but wait for my command, for what shall happen next will force the opening even wider."

"What are you going to do?" Gideon asked.

"You will see," said Maleficent.

* * *

><p>"Oh crap!" exclaimed Alice as she tossed a Defender into a squad of Soldiers, a shocked look on her face at a sudden vision, "incoming!"<p>

"What are you talking about?" Nate asked.

Just then a Dark Corridor opened up several thousand meters above the battlefield, and from it emerged five demons whom seemed to be wearing black skydiving suits, and attacked to each suit was a large bomb.

"They're going to blast us!" shouted Alice as the demons dove towards out heroes, aiming for the old mansion itself.

"Those bombs will kill us all!" shouted Sora.

"Not this year!" said Ansem as he pressed the third button on the remote. A large antenna rose out of the roof and projected a protective shield around the house.

"That won't do much good!" said Alice, "if just one bomb hit's the shield..."

"They won't!" said Jackson as he targeted his guns, lasers and missiles up at the demons, "not while I'm here!" he pulled the triggers, sending a massive barrage up at the demons. First one, then another, then a third demon was blasted out of oblivion, but two more were still coming, now less than a kilometer from the house.

But then the worst happened; Jackson's mech ran out of ammo. "Oh no!" exclaimed Jackson as he kept pulling the triggers, yet all the weapons clicked empty, "oh, dang flipity flabbit!"

"There's still two more!" shouted Alice.

"Someone shoot it!" shouted Max as he reloaded his revolver, aimed and fired all six shots, all of them missing. A few more of the BPRD warriors who still had loaded weapons also aimed and fired at the demons, all of them also missing.

"I got it!" shouted Tyler as he aimed his own missile launcher and fired off the last round, the projectile hitting one of the demons and detonating it, destroying the vile kamikaze diver.

But there was still one more, and now it was only five hundred meters up.

"_Sectum Sempra_!" shouted Harry as he swing his wand in an upward arc at the demon. An invisible cutting spell went up and sliced the demon in half widthwise, but the top half of the demon, the one with the bomb attached to it, still fell towards the house.

"I was hoping to cut the bomb in half," said Harry as he aimed his wand directly at the demon and bomb, "but I'm not done yet! _Expelliarmus_!" he shot a red beam of magic up, which hit the top half of the demon and separated it from the bomb, while also detonating it in the process.

The explosion was powerful enough to knock down nearly all of our heroes, leaving them half blind and deaf from the flash and bang. Only the vampires, Max, Mr. Incredible and other meta humans and supers with enhanced stamina were still standing. On the plus side most of the Heartless and Nobodies were also destroyed by the blast. But almost immediately fresh dark creatures began appearing on the field.

As for the Sailor Senshi, they were protected from the worst of the blast by Sailor Saturn's Silent Wall, but the sheer force expelled by the explosion seriously drained the young Sailor Senshi's energy, causing her shield to be severely weakened.

* * *

><p>"Now!" shouted Maleficent to Xorat and Kiraxi, "go now! While they are weak!"<p>

"We obey, great one!" said both Xorat and Kiraxi. They then opened a Dark Corridor and walked through.

* * *

><p>"They're coming!" shouted Alice as she and everyone else still standing struggled to keep the Heartless and Nobodies at bay, while also getting their disabled comrades to the safety of the house, where the shield still held.<p>

"Sailor Moon!" shouted Jasper, "you and the other Senshi! Get to the house!"

But before any of the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen could react, Xorat and Kiraxi appeared via Dark Corridor.

"Oh crap!" snapped Sailor Jupiter.

"It can't be!" exclaimed a shocked Sailor Moon as she saw Kiraxi, "we destroyed you."

"That was the old Kiraxi," said Xorat as he and Kiraxi casually walked towards her and her friends, "this Kiraxi is new and improved."

"I am far superior to my predecessor," said Kiraxi, "and where my predecessor failed," she looked at Sailor Moon, "I shall succeed."

"Over our dead bodies!" exclaimed Sailor Mars as she and the other Sailor Senshi faced Xorat and Kiraxi.

"Oh please," said Xorat in a nonchalant tone, "you're only delaying the inevitable."

"We'll be the judge of that!" said Sailor Uranus, "World Shaking!" she sent her ringed yellow sphere of energy at Xorat, who swatted it aside with one hand.

"Deep Submerge!" said Sailor Neptune as she fired her ringed sphere of water at the villains.

Kiraxi summoned her dark Keyblade and swatted it aside. The two of them stalked towards the Sailor Senshi.

"Any chance that anyone else can come and back us up?" Sailor Venus asked in a slightly nervous tone.

"We're all a little busy right now!" said Emmet as he carried several of the disabled heroes on one shoulder, while throwing Heartless after Heartless away with his free hand.

It was true, for all those still standing were either fighting enemies or saving the falling heroes.

But then Sora, Riku and Tess started to get back up, "We've got to do something!" Sora asked as he struggled to regain his balance.

"I'm all for it," said Tess, "but right now I can barely see straight."

"Me neither," said Riku.

By then Xorat and Kiraxi were just outside Sailor Saturn's Silent Wall. She was still projecting her shield, but she looked like she was on the verge of passing out.

"If you know what's good for you, little girl," said Xorat, "you'd get out of our way."

"Never!" shouted Sailor Saturn as she leaned against her Silent Glaive for support, sweat pouring down her brow, "I'll die before I let you harm Princess Serenity!"

"Same with us!" said Sailor Mercury, while the others nodded in agreement.

"Stop it, everyone!" said Usagi, "I won't let you die for me again!"

"We will not kill your friends," said Kiraxi, "that will be the responsibility of the mistress. We are only here to bring you to her."

"Your mistress can go suck eggs!" snapped Sailor Jupiter.

At that Xorat looked like he was ready to break something, "for that insult, you shall suffer most dearly." He shot a beam of crimson energy at the shield, shattering it. Sailor Saturn gasped in exhaustion as she nearly lost her balance, only to be tossed aside by Kiraxi.

Before any of the Sailor Senshi could act, Xorat and Kiraxi disabled them. Tuxedo Kamen got between them and Sailor Moon. Kiraxi raised her Keyblade to attack. Tuxedo Kamen raised his cane to block, but Kiraxi broke it in half with her dark Keyblade, then tossed him aside.

"Pathetic weakling," said Xorat, "I think I'll break your legs."

"NO!" shouted Sailor Moon, "I…I surrender!"

"What? No!" shouted Sailor Mercury.

"Don't give up, Sailor Moon!" said Sailor Pluto, "we can still fight!"

"And you'll suffer for it," said Xorat.

"I won't let you hurt my friends anymore," said Sailor Moon. She closed her eyes and with a flash of white light, reverted back to her normal clothes, "if I go with you, that's it, you won't hurt my friends, right?" Usagi asked.

"That's the gist of it," said Xorat. He and Kiraxi then grabbed Usagi by her arms.

"Usagi, no!" shouted Sora as he, Riku and Tess finally recovered from the explosion.

"I'm sorry, Sora!" said Usagi as Xorat and Kiraxi summoned a Dark Corridor.

"No talking!" snapped Xorat as he shoved Usagi into the Dark Corridor. Kiraxi then walked into it.

"Xorat!" shouted Ranma as he recovered, "it's me, Xorat! Fight me!"

"I would, Saotome," said Xorat, "but I have my orders. If you are ever reborn into another life, then I will destroy you, but your life now belongs to the mistress!" With that he stepped through the Dark Corridor and it closed up after him.

* * *

><p>"Welcome to the darkness, Princess Serenity," said Maleficent in a disarming tone as she smiled with false kindness at Usagi as Kiraxi forced her to stand up, while Xorat emerged from the Dark Corridor exit, "I assume you know who I am."<p>

"I can guess," said Usagi in a frightened but controlled tone, "You're the one responsible for for all the horrible things that've been happening lately, aren't you."

"You will show respect to the mistress of all evil!" snapped Xorat as he forced Usagi to kneel, "you belong to her now!"

"She belongs to no one!" said Kairi.

"Kairi-chan!" said Usagi, "are you alright?"

"She won't be here for much longer," said Maleficent, "now that all seven Princesses of Heart have been captured, the final phase of my plans can begin!" she looked at Gideon, "begin preparations for the summoning ritual at once!"

"Whatever you wish," said Gideon. He then walked out of the room.

Maleficent then looked at Xorat and Kairi, "take the whelp to the summoning chamber, then bring the others there as well."

"We live to serve, great one," said both Xorat and Kiraxi.

"Aren't you going to stay and watch?" Kairi shouted to Kiraxi, "don't you want to see your mistress kill me? You came from me!"

"That is irrelevant," said Kiraxi, "I am superior to you, and now that my mission is complete, I have no need of you."

"But don't you care?" Kairi asked, "you're more than my copy! I have to believe that somewhere in you, some part of my goodness exists. There's got to be a spark of light in your heart, for in every darkness, there's a light that never goes out."

"There is no light in me," said Kiraxi, "I exist only for Maleficent." With that she and Xorat dragged Usagi out of the room.

"It's going to be alright, Kairi!" Usagi shouted, "I only gave up so that the enemy wouldn't the others! They'll come and save us all! They will come!"

"They will not," said Maleficent, "for they will die. Unfortunately you will not have the honor of seeing them die. Take her! Now!"

"Let's go, little girl," said Xorat as he and Kiraxi finally dragged Usagi away.

"I will stay your execution long enough for you to see your friends die," said Maleficent to Kairi. She then cast a spell that sent more and more heartless and Nobodies, as well as several demons, to the battlefield on Twilight Town.

* * *

><p>"Here we go again!" exclaimed Alice as a sudden vision hit her, "Maleficent's pulled out all the stops now! She's sending enough Heartless and other nastiest to finish us off! They'll be here any second!"<p>

"That's it," said one of the supers, "we're dead!"

"It's not over until it's over!" said Max as he reloaded his revolver.

"As long as we can fight we will!" said Bella, "and we will fight!"

"But so many of our friends are still unable to fight," said Riku, "how can we still come out of this alive?"

"We have to!" said Sora as he summoned his Keyblade, "we have to survive so we can save Usagi, Nessie, Lyra, Kairi and the others!"

"I'm not arguing with you," said Riku as he and Tess summoned their Keyblades, "but our chances aren't looking so good right now."

"What about our armor?" Sora asked. He then spoke into his watch, "Young Watari? Young Watari? Hello? Are you there?" he tapped his watch several times, "Hello?"

"I think they're broken," said Tess as she tapped her watch as well.

"Or maybe young Watari can't hear us," said Riku, "But I don't think it matters right now!"

Just then several large dark corridors opened up, spilling thousands of fresh Heartless, Nobodies and demons onto the field.

"This is it!" said Sora as he and his friends braced for a fight to the finish.

But then something incredible happened. A bright blue light burst out of the house and rose into the air.

"Now what?" Tess asked.

* * *

><p>…Inside the Old Mansion…A few minutes ago…<p>

"That explosion shorted out the houses' defense systems," said Young Watari as he examined the data on a computer screen. Several of the computers in the lab had been destroyed due to the bomb blast, while others showed red error messages. "The house shield and lasers are offline. Communications are also down," another screen showed a different error message, "and the armor upgrade packages failed to upload as well, while the original programming has been lost," he sighed in defeat, "it'll take me weeks to recreate the data."

"Never mind that, man!" exclaimed Scrooge, "what about the boy?"

"Young Jake couldn't be better," said Professor von Drake as he pointed to the tank, where Jake was completing his metamorphoses, "all the systems responsible for his wellbeing are functioning perfectly. In fact, he's almost done."

Scrooge and young Watari looked at the chronometer on the main screen as it finished counting down to zero, at which point a loud 'Ding!' could be heard.

"Change is complete," said von Drake as he pressed a button that caused the wires and tubes to detach themselves from Jake. With a bright blue flash, the organic armor vanished and Jake reappeared as a human. The saline drained from the tank and the top opened up, detaching the breathing mask, while the tank itself sank into the floor. Jake collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, but then started to get back up.

"Are you alright, laddie?" Scrooge asked as Young Watari got a towel and threw it over Jake, then helped him stand up.

"That was…something else," said Jake, "I really don't remember anything, just…feelings of…I don't know what."

"Well how do you feel now?" young Watari asked as he handed Jake his clothes.

"I don't feel any different," said Jake in a thoughtful tone as he put his clothes on. "I'm still me. Seriously, I'm not different."

"Trust me, young man," said Professor von Drake, "you are different," he then walked over to one of the still functioning computers that had several wires attacked to a large glass cube. Inside the cube was a large blue crystal that slightly pulsed with a light blue glow. The professor took the crystal out of the box and handed it to Jake, "this is your System Box, which will allow you to transform into the Tekkaman. Oh, you'll have to think of a name, for all Tekkamen have a name that goes with their specific differences."

"What kind of name?" Jake asked.

"Oh, they're usually weapon themed," said the professor, "Tekkaman Blade, Tekkaman Dagger, Tekkaman Lance and so on."

Jake looked at the crystal, which resembled a seven pointed star, "Star," he said, "Tekkaman Star, that's who I'll be."

"Then be quick about it, laddie," said Scrooge as he looked at a monitor that showed the battle outside, "they look like they're on their last legs out there."

"Right," said Jake, "I'm ready. So, how do I transform?"

"Just hold up the crystal in one hand," said von Drake, "and shout 'Tekk-Setter.' Your new powers will do the rest."

"Okay," said Jake, "you might want to stand back for this, just to be safe."

"Right," said Young Watari as he, Scrooge and the professor stood back.

"Remember," said von Drake, "once you transform, all the information uploaded into your brain will be at your command. You will instantly know how to fight. But also remember, the time limit. You can only be Tekkaman for half an hour. Beyond that you will be driven horribly insane."

"I won't forget," said Jake.

"Good luck, laddie," said Scrooge, "you're going to need it."

Jake nodded, took a breath, then held up the System Box and shouted, "TEKK-SETTER!" the crystal glowed brightly and Jake was surrounded by a bright blue light. The light then shot up through the roof of the lab and crashed through the upper levels of the house.

"Hmmm," said von Drake as he, Scrooge and Young Watari looked up at the holes in the house, "I guess I should have asked him to transform outside.

"You think?" both Young Watari and Scrooge asked.

* * *

><p>The bright blue light rose up into the air and arced down to the ground. When it reached the ground, it vanished, revealing a humanoid figure; a living suit of organic armor colored blue with white lines. He had large shoulder plates and a chest plate colored gold and a red pentagon on the helmet over a glowing blue crystal eyepiece. Out of its back shot a large white lance, which the armored figure grabbed.<p>

_"Tekkaman Star!"_ shouted the armored warrior in Jake's voice with a slight reverb.

"Jake?" Lilly asked, "is that you?"

Jake, Tekkaman Star, ignored Lilly and focused his gaze on the now approaching waves of Heartless, Nobodies and demons. From his back emerged propulsion boosters that lit up with blue energy. He then flew over the battlefield and aimed for the first wave of dark creatures.

He then stabbed his lance into a Defender and destroyed it. He then swing and destroyed more Heartless and Nobodies, then sliced a demon in half before attacking and destroying more and more dark creatures. Each time he attacked he uttered a shout of effort.

"Look at him go!" said an amazed Sora, "he's…"

"Incredible," said Riku.

"Fantastic," said Tess.

Soon the other heroes whom were recovering were watching with amazed eyes as Jake destroyed more and more dark creatures. And they weren't the only ones watching.

* * *

><p>"What is this?" an outraged Maleficent asked as she watched Tekkaman Star tear his way through the ranks of Heartless, Nobodies and demons, destroying enough of the dark creatures so that all the other heroes still able to fight didn't have to fight as hard.<p>

"I could be mistaken," said The Negotiator as he looked at the image of the battle, "but that appears to be a Tekkaman."

"Tekkaman?" Maleficent.

"A living suit of armor created by alien technology," said The Negotiator, "one of incredible destructive power. But," he looked closer at the image of Jake fighting, "that design, it's different from the ones used by The Radam, whom are a race of parasites who…"

"Never mind!" said Maleficent, "this is but a minor setback," she then sent an order to her forces of Heartless, Nobodies and demons, "destroy the intruder!"

* * *

><p>All of the dark creatures then focused on Tekkaman Star, ignoring the vampires, the few meta humans and other heroes still fighting. He found himself completely surrounded. He hacked, slashed and stabbed with his lance so fast he was barely a blur to human eyes. He threw his lance at a Dragon that tried to get above him, impaling and destroying it.<p>

Tekkaman Star then aimed his right wrist up at his lance and shot an energy wire out at the lance, catching and reeling it back in. He caught the lance and continued fighting, but more and more dark creatures were converging on him.

"We've got to help him!" said Sora as he, Riku and Tess summoned their Keyblades and rushed in. They and the heroes still fighting, and a few whom had recovered enough to fight, began to attack the dark creatures. They found it all to easy destroying them for all the demons, Heartless and Nobodies were completely focused on Tekkaman Star.

But there were far too many of the dark creatures for them to make much fo a difference.

"We've got to get to Jake!" Sora shouted.

"We're working on it!" shouted Riku, "but there's far too many!"

Just then Tekkaman Star tripped on one of the Heartless and was pounced upon by the demons, Heartless and Nobodies. He was soon completely buried by the dark creatures.

"Jake!" several of our heroes shouted.

But then came the shout of _"Crash Interlude!"_ and Tekkaman Star shot out from the mass of dark creatures, destroying thousands. He had changed the shape of his Tekkaman form, becoming more streamline and angular, like an aerofoil. He then rose several hundred feet into the air and resumed his humanoid form and hovered there in the air.

At that all of the demons, Heartless and Nobodies began climbing atop each other, forming a pulsating tower in an attempt to each Tekkaman Star. Within seconds all of the creatures were in the tower, straining to get to Jake.

But then the shoulder plates of Tekkaman star opened up, revealing energy emitters that glowed bright blue. The emitters began glowing brighter as Tekkaman Star gathered his full power in what was sure to be something awesome.

_"Voltekka!"_ he shouted, and a massive blast of energy shot down onto the dark creatures, completely wiping out every single Heartless, demon and Nobody.

* * *

><p>"Inconceivable!" said Maleficent as she saw the destruction of every dark creature on the field, "how can that one have that much power?"<p>

"It is alien technology," said The Negotiator, "and it's obvious that your forces are completely helpless against it."

"I told you!" Kairi shouted happily, "my friends aren't that easy to kill!"

"Be silent!" snapped The Negotiator. He then looked at Maleficent, "what now, oh great and terrible one?"

But Maleficent was so flabbergasted by the sudden turn of events that she didn't send more Heartless, Nobodies or demons to the battlefield.

* * *

><p>With no further enemies appearing on the field, Tekkaman Star landed on the ground, walked over to Sora and the others and with a flash of blue light, returned to being Jake, looking very tired but satisfied.<p>

"Are you alright, Jake?" Oliver asked.

"Better than alright," said a happily smiling Jake, "I feel…like a hero. For the first time in my life, I'm a real hero!"

"You were always a hero," said Ansem as he walked over, "in your heart that is."

Just then Jackson and Robbie Ray walked over, "Jake, that was so awesome!" Jackson exclaimed, "you were all, 'I'm a big monster slaying hero!' and those Heartless and things were like nothing against you!"

"I'm fully convinced," said Robbie Ray, "you're alight in my book."

"Wow, thanks," said Jake, "coming from you, Mr. Stewart, I mean, Robbie Ray, that's just…"

"Oh just get over here and give me a hug, hero," said Robbie Ray. With that he and Jake embraced as equals.

Just then Young Watari, von Drake and Scrooge came out of the house, "Yes! Success!" exclaimed the professor, "I've done it! I've fully melded alien technology with the human heart! Nobel Prize, here I come!"

"Aren't you now going to apologize for your doubts?" Young Watari said to Scrooge.

"I'll admit nothing," said Scrooge as he stubbornly crossed his arms.

Just then Sora remembered something very important, "Wait, what about Usagi? And what about Kairi? Maleficent said she's going to kill her!"

"Rest easy, Sora," said Ansem, "I have already arranged Kairi's rescue."

"You did?" Sora asked.

"And you were going to tell us this when?" Tess asked.

"As we speak," said Ansem, "a dear friend of mine is infiltrating the dark castle and will have Kairi safe in hand," he held up a small communications crystal, "I just need to wait for the signal."

* * *

><p>"What now, great one?" The Negotiator asked in an insisting tone, "I need orders to issue."<p>

"Just face it," said Kairi, "all your plans have run out of luck!"

At that Maleficent snapped out of her fugue and glared at Kairi. "Enough out of you!" snapped Maleficent, "you no longer have the right to exist in my eyes! You will now die!"

Just then Aqua emerged from the shadows, "you'll have to kill me first, you pale-eyed bitch!"

"You!" said a shocked Maleficent as she recognized Aqua, "but, you were destroyed!"

"Like Harry Potter and the other heroes," said Aqua, "I'm not easy to kill either. Keyblade Masters are like that, you know."

"Keyblade Master?" The Negotiator asked, "but King Mickey is the only one left."

"I've been out of touch for a while," said Aqua, "but now I'm ready to get back to work; protecting the innocent against the darkness!" she summoned her Keyblade, Brightcrest, aimed it at the energy draining chair and fired a beam of magic. The beam shorted out the evil circuitry of the chair and it turned off.

Kairi gasped in shock as the drain on her life energy was cut off.

* * *

><p>At the same time in the corridors of the castle, Kiraxi gasped in shock as the energy transfer was cut off. She nearly lost balance and leaned against the wall for support.<p>

"What happened?" Xorat asked as he held Usagi's unbroken arm.

"The link has been severed," said Kiraxi in a strained tone, "I am no longer receiving energy from my progenitor."

"Then she is dead," said Xorat, "the life of the love of Sora has been snuffed out."

"NO!" exclaimed Usagi, "Kairi-chan can't be dead, she can't be! She just can't!"

"Shut up before I break your legs!" snapped Xorat.

"No, the waif is right," said Kiraxi as she stood up, "Kairi's life has not been terminated, only the energy transfer. Something has happened."

"It is not our concern," said Xorat, "if the mistress needed us she would send for us. Until then we have our orders," he jerked Usagi up by her arm, jarring her broke arm and earning from her a yelp of pain, "getting this brat to her cell."

"Agreed," said Kiraxi as she stood up, clearly recovered from the severed link, "our duty to the mistress comes first."

* * *

><p>"Get her!" snapped Maleficent as she sent a bolt of purple lightning at Aqua. She dodged with a cartwheel, then jumped over to the vile chair. With several quick strikes from her Keyblade, she sliced through the bonds restraining Kairi.<p>

"Come on!" Aqua exclaimed as she grabbed Kairi and slung her arm over her shoulder. She then leapt the both of them out of the way of another bolt of purple lightning. She then carried Kairi up to the top of the room where an open air vent, clearly the means in which Aqua got into the room, and they both escaped through the open vent.

"Find and destroy them!" snapped Maleficent at two demons who ran into the room to see what the disturbance was all about, "destroy them on sight!" the demons hastily bowed and ran out of the room.

"What do you want me to do?" The Negotiator asked.

"Bring the new clones of the League of Evil Exes to life, immediately," said Maleficent, "and prepare to repel invasion. No doubt that the foolish heroes will attempt to rescue the princesses. We shall be ready for them, and when they come, that is when they die. Now leave me!"

"As you wish, so shall it be done," said The Negotiator as he bowed. He walked out of the room, imputing the new orders into his PDA.

"I will not be denied victory when I am so close," said Maleficent as she and her raven walked out onto the balcony, "not now, not ever. I will not be denied what is mine. I will never be denied what is mine by destiny."

* * *

><p>"It is you," said Kairi as Aqua helped her crawl through the air vents, "Aqua. I knew you were alive, but I thought I would have to go looking for you, not the other way around."<p>

"Funny how things turn out," said Aqua, "and you've turned out really well."

"Don't try to cheer me up," said Kairi, "all my strength is needed just to keep moving and not pass out. They really did a number on me, I'll bet I look a mess."

"You're fine," said Aqua, "noting a good meal, a hot shower and a good night's sleep wouldn't fix. And I'm serious, you've grown into a great person since the last time I saw you."

"I remember," said Kairi, "that day on Radiant Garden, when that giant Unversed attacked, you were there, with Terra and Ven."

"You know about Terra and Ven?" Aqua asked.

"I know that Ven's body is in Castle Oblivion," said Kairi, "and a friend of mine has his heart sealed inside him. Sora and the others, we all planned to go find Ven's body and reunite him with his heart, assuming we get out of here."

"We will," said Aqua, "and I'm sorry I didn't come and save you sooner. It took me a while to coordinate an exit strategy, that and I had to convince the Hakonains to join forces with Sora."

"The Hakonians?" Kairi asked, "why would they want to help Sora?"

"It's a long story," said Aqua, "but needless to say, I succeeded in convincing Reddik and Rakel to be willing to open communications, which they'll do soon."

"Reddik and Rakel?" Kairi asked.

But then they came to a vent that was slightly lose, "down there is a corridor that will get us out of the castle. From there we'll take a tunnel that'll get us to the portal back to the realms of light. You'll be back with Sora and the others soon."

"What about Aiden?" Kairi asked, "he was taken with me as well."

"He's not here," said Aqua, "he vanished shortly after he was interrogated by Gideon's mind violator. Both disappeared at the same time. I can only assume that…"

"No," said Kairi, "Aiden isn't dead. I'd know if he was dead. He's alive, but far, far away."

"Well, I can only wish that he's safe," said Aqua. She then opened the air vent, "it's a bit of a drop, but it's worth it."

"I'm ready," said Kairi, "let's go."

They dropped down into a room where a door that would lead outside waited for them. But also in the room were several demons, all armed with high powered lasor weapons.

"Was this in the plan?" Kairi asked.

"No," said Aqua, "but then again, best laid plans after all."

"Surrender or die!" said one of the demons as the others aimed their weapons on Aqua and Kairi.

"Why surrender?" Aqua asked as she summoned her Keyblade, "your boss wants us dead."

"Uh, true," said the lead demon, "but…"

"But nothing," said Kairi as she summoned her Keyblade. She knew that she didn't have much strength to fight with, hardly any at all, but she was ready to fight to the bitter end, if only for the chance to survive and be reunited with Sora.

But then a miracle happened, sort of. Kairi and Aqua seemed to fall into the floor, into a open white door with a black star on it. The door closed and vanished, leaving the demons standing there completely dumbstruck.

As for Kairi, in her weakened condition the transition through the door was too much for her and she blacked out.

* * *

><p>"Well?" Reddik asked.<p>

"It's done," said Katarina as she put her phone back into her pocket, "I've called all of my contacts in the nobility. Nearly everyone's with us, if only to get away from Maleficent. They'll follow you and Rakel."

"What about your mother and mine?" Nikolai asked, "and any other diehards?"

"Both our moms and a few others refused to face reality," said Katarina, "so they've been locked up, while my mom has been drugged. She and the others won't make any trouble for us."

"Then we have to take the next step," said Rakel, "opening communications with Sora and his allies."

"I know that it is something that has to be done," said Nikolai, "but for the record, I am fully against this endeavor. The Keyblade Wielders will not agree to cooperation."

"They will if they want to defeat Maleficent and Gideon," said Reddik, "the enemy of my enemy is my ally."

"This will work," said Rakel, "Sora and his friends will work with us, 'cause we'll soon have an edge. If Aqua is successful, Kairi will be here, and if Sora wants Kairi back, he'll agree to cooperation."

"You're forgetting the fact that Aqua has been here in the realm of darkness for a long time," said Falkon, "she wouldn't have come out of hiding without a plan to escape. She'll rescue Kairi and then get her back to the realms of light, so using Kairi as a bargaining chip won't be successful."

"He's right," said Reddik, "If we are to have the help of The Keyblade Wielders and their friends, then we'll have to persuade them with words. We'll contact Sora and his friends, as soon as I figure out what words to use."

* * *

><p>"It's done," said Victoire as the glow on the keys faded, "they're sharp now."<p>

"Are you sure?" Miley asked.

"Cut yourself and see for sure," said Victoire as she walked over to the sink and washed her hands.

"Trust me," said Nessie in a raspy voice, "they're sharp."

"Are you okay?" Lyra asked, "just wait a little longer."

"Oh yeah, I can hardly wait to fall of the wagon again," said Nessie in a miserable tone.

"Just remember that this is for your own survival," said Victoire as she dried her hands and walked over, while Sara went to the sink to wash her hands, then Violet and Miley got in line behind Sara.

Victorie picked up one of the keys in her right hand, held her left over the glass jug, closed her eyes in anticipation of the pain to come and sliced her hand open, spilling her blood into the jug. "Son of a banshee, that hurts!" she exclaimed.

"Isn't there a spell to dull pain?" Sara asked she dried her hands, walked over and grabbed the other sharp key and with only a slight wince, cut her self and allowed her blood to join Victoire's in the jug.

"There is," said Victoire, "but I don't know them. I was never interested in the healing arts," by then the jug was about a fifth of the way full, "I think that's enough," she grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around her wounded hand and sat back down, then applied pressure to her arm to stem the flow of blood, "I did learn some first aid from my muggle and meta human friends though."

Violet then finished drying her hand. She picked up the keys, went over to the sink where Miley was scrubbing her hand and cleaned the keys as best she could, "no offense, everyone, but the last thing any of us wants is to unintentionally spread any diseases."

"Good point," said Lyra as she got up and walked over to the sink, waiting for her turn to wash her hands.

Violet then took one of the keys and cut her hand, mixing her blood with Victoire's and Sara's. Sara by then had finished giving her blood and had wrapped a towel around her hand as well.

Miley then cut her hand with the other key, while Lyra cleaned one of the keys, then cut her hand as well. It wasn't long before the jug was full of blood and the five girls were sitting down, all looking tired and a little pale, but all of them looked satisfied.

"It's there, Nessie," said Sara, "take it or flush it down the toilet."

Nessie, whom had been breathing through her mouth to avoid the scent of blood, suddenly inhaled through her nose, the hot, wet scent of the red liquid threatening to overwealm her senses. Slowly, still reluctant to give up her values, she walked over to the jug, picked it up and brought it to her lips.

The second the blood touched her tongue she lost all control and began gulping it down, spilling some of it onto the floor. Within seconds she had drank nearly all of the blood in the jug, then licked out as much as she could. She then dropped to the floor and licked up what was spilled.

"Uh, Nessie?" Lyra asked cautiously.

Nessie suddenly looked up and glared at the five princesses with her teeth bared and a slight growl in her voice. What was most frightening was her eyes; where a few seconds ago they were darkening from their normal chocolate brown to back, now they had a slight red tinge to them.

"I think we've created a monster," said Violet said nervously as she and the other girls got up and cautiously backed away from Nessie.

"Ya think?" Miley asked, "who's idea was this in the first place?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," said Sara.

Nessie took a menacing step towards them, darting her eyes between Lyra, Sara, Violet, Miley and Victoire, trying to decide whom to attack and feed upon first.

But then Nessie closed her eyes in anguished frustration, "No!" she shouted as she shook her head, "I won't! I won't hurt my friends! I won't be a monster! I won't!"

With a screech of rage she rushed to the wall and ripped out several feet of it, then crushed the wall piece into several smaller pieces. This section of the wall happened to be hiding the power generator of the Uridium device, exposing the foul machine in the process. Nessie then grabbed the device, ripped it out of the wall and crushed it into a small metal lump, then threw it at the force field with enough force to short it out.

With the barrier gone, Nessie then ran out of the cell, stopped in the middle of the corridor and shouted, "GIDEON! I'M COMING FOR YOU!" she then ran up the corridor.

"Still think this was a good idea?" Violet asked as she and the other princesses and Pan exited the cell.

"At least we're out," said Victoire, "and I do believe that our powers are coming back."

"I do feel better," said Lyra.

"Same with me," said Sara, "in fact," she held up her right had and it began glowing with a white light. She held the light over her left hand and within seconds, the light healed her cut.

"Why didn't you tell us you could do that?" Violet asked, "instead of having Nessie heal us?"

"You didn't ask," said Sara as she then healed Lyra, then Violet, then Miley, then Victoire, "and my powers had been weakened as much as yours, and I've had mine a lot less longer than Nessie's. Now, let's go help our friend before she does something that'll get herself killed."

At that the others nodded and ran after Nessie. But Violet hesitated before running with the others. On an impulse, she ran back into the cell and grabbed the two sharp keys. She put one in her pocket and stuck the other up her left sleeve, making it that much more easier to get at.

"Couldn't hurt to have them," said Violet to herself. With that she ran after the others.

**The end of chapter 8.**

Next chapter fins our heroes prepairing for the final battle, while Kairi finds herself in somplace quite unexpected and meets some unexpected heroes as well. As for Aiden, he and his time traveling companionsrace to prevent their Hakonian friends from being destroyed in a nuclear fireball. Who will survive?

Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	9. Chapter 9: A Dark Warning

Last time found our heroes and allies planning a defense of The Old Mansion and Usagi against Maleficent's next move, which turned out to be the biggest Heartless battle Sora and his friends had faced yet. After wearing our heroes down enough, Maleficent sent Xorat and the new Kiraxi to take Usagi to the realm of darkness, then sent a fresh wave of Heartless, Nobodies and demons to finish our heroes off. But then a new hero rose up, in the form of Jake as Tekkaman Star, and single-handedly won the battle. Maleficents' triumph was then further spoiled when Aqua burst in and grabbed Kairi, yet their escape was abruptly cut short by a door that lead to…somewhere else.

At the same time, while Reddik and his fellow rebel Hakonians came to the conclusion that they would need help from Sora and his friends, Nessie swallowed his pride and drank the blood her fellow captive Princesses donated to her With her vampire strength restored, Nessie shattered the dark machine draining the Princesses' powers and broke out of the dungeon, hungry for Gideon's hide.

Meanwhile back in time, Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory helped the past rebel Hakonians reach the reactivated spaceport and started the evacuation of Hakonian Prime. The crumbling capitol of the dark empire was then further fractured by a nuclear warhead detonated by the nobles and Enforcement Bureau, with another nuclear missile base only a few kilometers from the spaceport. Aiden and his time-traveling companions then raced to stop the rogue Hakonians from making a dire situation worse. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 9: A Dark Warning**

Gideon walked through the corridors of New Hollow Bastion, through Naught's Approach, Ruin and Creation Passage, all the way up to The Altar of Naught. A lot of remodeling had been done to the uppermost part of the dark castle where Xemnes worked his evil to create a door to Kingdom Hearts.

Now the area was made much wider, a large circular platform 150 meters in diameter that was brightly lit by several white torches, while the broken Kingdom Hearts moon overhead provided additional illumination. On a raised platform in the middle was a large, elaborately constructed machine that pulsed with dark purple energy. Connected to the machine via large energy conducting cables were seven, human-sized vertical tables with restraining clamps for the head, arms, legs and chest, with the clamps were loaded with micro circuitry.

Also there were several demons, whom were paining black symbols in radiating circles out from the platform and machine, the symbols pulsing with dark magic.

"Ah, everything is almost ready," said Gideon. He then saw that Xorat and Kiraxi were there already, holding Usagi, "and here's the last of the princesses to be caught," he bowed in a mocking manner, "Gideon 'G-Man' Graves, at your service. I already know who you are."

"Then you know that I only came here so you wouldn't hurt my friends anymore," said Usagi.

"Your friends only got a reprieve," said Gideon, "if Maleficent and her horde don't kill them, then Lord Kira will."

"No! I won't let you hurt my friends any more!" said Usagi, "and I won't let you bring Kira here! I'll fight you with everything I can!"

"Ha! You're braver than I thought," said Gideon, "from what I've heard about you, little girl, you're a spoiled crybaby of a coward."

"I'm not like that anymore," said Usagi, "I've changed for the better. I know who I used to be, but I also know whom I will become."

"The only thing that you will become is a tool for Lord Kira's triumphant return!" said Gideon. He then looked at Xorat and Kiraxi, "strap her into the machine! Then go get the other brats!"

"We'll obey," said Kiraxi as Xorat dragged Usagi over to one of the vertical tables, "but only because it is what the mistress wants."

"You know," said Gideon, "I liked you better when you worshiped the ground I walked on."

"That was a different Kiraxi," said the emotionless biot, "I obey only Maleficent."

"Could have fooled me," said Gideon sarcastically.

Just then came the sound of Nessie shouting "GIDEON! I'M COMING FOR YOU!"

"It sounds as if one of the brats have escaped," said Xorat as he finished clamping Usagi to the table.

"That's impossible!" said Gideon, "I designed the dungeon myself. The Uridium-powered, ability dampening field should have rendered all the captured princesses weak as kittens!"

"We should detain the brat before she makes a nuisance of herself," said Kiraxi.

"No," said Gideon, "if she wants to talk to me, let her talk."

Just then Nessie burst up into the area, "there you are!" she shouted, her red-tinged eyes glaring at Gideon, "I'm going to drain you of all your blood!"

"I thought you didn't drink human blood, Renesmee," said Gideon, clearly unnerved by the sight of the free and unhinged Nessie, but still putting up his normal mannerism.

"You're not human!" snapped Nessie, "and I never said I was going to feed on you! I'm going to hang you up by your feet, cut you a thousand times and let you bleed to death!"

"That'd be an interesting way to die," said Gideon, "exsanguination, but unfortunately I've got a previous engagement. Lord Kira is growing impatient for his release from Mu, and I am not going to disappoint him."

"Sorry, he's going to be disappointed," said Nessie, "so what dirty trick are you going to use on me now, Gideon? Do whatever you want to try, it won't matter, I'll still kill you in the end!"

"There's one problem with that," said Gideon, "I have one of the princesses right here," he indicated the restrained Usagi, whom was futilely struggling against the clamps holding her to the table, "and if you don't want anything to happen to her, then you'll do what I say."

"Don't listen to him!" shouted Usagi, "everything's going to be alright!"

"If you hurt her," said Nessie to Gideon, "I _will_ feed on you, then vomit up your blood into your mouth and make you choke on it!"

"Now you're just being revolting," said Gideon.

"Stand aside, human," said Xorat to Gideon, "I'll deal with the little half bread."

"No," said Kiraxi, "I will render her compliant."

"I'll rip you both apart!" snapped Nessie.

Just then Sara, Miley, Victoire, Lyra and Pan ran into the area, "Nessie!" shouted Sara.

This caused Nessie to glare back at them, "Stay out of my way!" she snapped.

Gideon took advantage of Nessie's distraction by pulling out a small device similar to a car alarm remote. He clicked the button and the walls chirped and began humming loudly.

All of a sudden Sara, Miley, Victoire, Lyra, Pan, Nessie and Usagi gasped and collapsed, their energies drained from all of them. Usagi slumped against the clamps, while Sara, Miley, Victoire, Lyra and Pan collapsed to the floor, and Nessie only stumbled without falling over.

"What happened?" Lyra asked as she and the others tried to get up.

"Another power draining field," said Nessie as she glared at Gideon, her eyes darkening to their normal chocolate brown, but still wrathful, "you son of a bitch, you had this set up for us!"

"I couldn't take the risk of you girls trying to get the drop on me," said Gideon, "sure, transferring you from the cell to the ritual chamber would recharge your powers slightly, but in here the field is much stronger. You still have your life energies, which will be taken by the machine to open the door to Mu and release Lord Kira."

"You're crazy!" said Miley, "as Lilly would say, sicker than a possum in a possum hospital."

At that Gideon looked highly offended, "everyone thinks I'm crazy. Well I'm not! I'm not crazy!"

"Actions speak louder than words," said Victoire as she and the others tried to get up, but then the demons in the room grabbed them and dragged them to the tables and clamped them in one by one. Lyra was placed on Usagi's right, with Pan weakly slumping at her feet, then Violet, then Sara, then Victoire, then Miley.

Gideon himself grabbed Nessie and forced her onto the last table and clamped her in, "just sit back and relax. The ritual takes a while, so just take it easy while we get things going."

"You'll never get away with this!" said Lyra, "it's only a matter of time before Sora and the others come!"

"I know they'll come," said Gideon, "but I'm not worried at all. Maleficent has this covered, and when Lord Kira comes, he'll put her in her place, for Lord Kira is the true lord of darkness!" With that he walked over to one side of the room, where a large briefcase stood waiting on a smaller platform. He opened the case and took out a large black book that had strange, evil markings on it.

Victoire, whom was facing Gideon, seemed to recognize the book, her face betraying her sudden shock and fear, "my god! It can't be! They were all destroyed!"

"On your world perhaps," said Gideon as he opened the book, revealing parchment written in what, at first glance, appeared to be red ink, "but not on mine."

"Mind telling everyone what's the big deal with that book?" Miley asked.

"It's a Necronomicon," said Victoire, "The Book of the Dead. Bound in human flesh and penned in blood, it is one of the oldest texts ever written, and what an evil text it is."

"I've heard of it," said Nessie, "it's originally Sumerian and was made to summon The Great Old Ones. How did you get it, Gideon?"

"That's my dirty little secret," said Gideon as he leafed through the evil book.

Just then Maleficent stalked up the stairs, "you!" she snapped at Gideon, "do you have any inclination what has happened?"

"We have all seven princesses," said Gideon, "and now I'm going to free Lord Kira."

"I meant that Kairi has escaped!" Maleficent snapped.

"Kairi's free?" a surprised Nessie asked.

"What happened?" Lyra asked.

"That insufferable Keyblade Master of a girl," said Maleficent, "Aqua, she has been here in the realm of darkness all along! She invaded my realm and took Kairi before I could destroy the waif! And now they both have vanished!"

"Really?" Gideon asked in an intrigued tone, "now how did that happen?"

"We're still investigating that, Mr. Graves," said The Negotiator as he walked into the area, "a squad of demons had them cornered, but then they simply vanished. As near as I can tell," he looked at his PDA, "there was a slight increase in Tachyon particles in the area where the two girls disappeared. The readings are similar to the opening and closing of a Subspace corridor."

"Subspace corridor?" Gideon asked. He then slammed his left fist into his right palm in frustration, "Scott and Ramona, I should have known they couldn't stay out of my business!"

"What is this nonsense?" Maleficent asked.

"In short," said Gideon, "some old friends are sticking their noses where they're not wanted. But that's not important right now. What is important is that you do everything in your power to make sure Sora and his merry band of idiots don't mess this up. The ritual won't be short, and a lot can go wrong in the process. If you want this to work, you need to keep any rescue attempt away from here."

"I can assure," said Maleficent, "there will be no interruptions. Just make sure that you perform the ritual without fail!" She then saw the black book in Gideon's hand, "is that what I think it is?"

"It's a Necronomicon, alright," said Gideon, "in the original Sumerian text no less."

"A first edition?" Maleficent asked as she walked over and looked closer at the book, "I have never seen one intact."

"And you may never see one again," said Gideon, "these books have a nasty habit of being destroyed."

"I think we've got a small break of luck," said Sara, "while they're distracted by that book, we can try to do something."

"What?" Miley asked, "none of our powers are working, not that mine could help us anyway."

"But we've still got our brains," said Violet as she carefully worked the sharp key out from her sleeve and into her palm and began scraping at the clamp, trying to weaken it so she could get her hand free.

"And we've got hope," said Lyra, "hope that our friends and loved ones will come."

"And there's hope for another friend," said Nessie, "Kairi's safe for now."

"But she's not here," said Sara, "she and this Aqua, they vanished into some sort of corridor."

"A subspace corridor," said Nessie, "but I think it's okay, for if they're with Scott and Ramona, then they're safe."

"I wish we could say the same for us," said Miley.

"Don't worry," said Usagi, "it's going to be alright."

"How?" Violet asked, pausing her scraping of the clamp, "how is it going to be alright?"

"Because before the battle," said Usagi, "I talked with Mamo-chan. We have a plan that'll allow him, Sora and the others to find us. All we have to do is hold out and wait for them to come."

"But how long will it be before they come?" Miley asked.

"I don't know," said Sara, "but as long as Maleficent and Gideon are talking about that book, they won't start the ritual."

"Great," said Violet, "more time secured to these tables."

"At least they're not torturing us," said Nessie, "That'd be overkill."

"I'm afraid that when the ritual starts," said Victoire, "things will hurt."

"I wish you hadn't said that," said Sara.

* * *

><p><strong>...Somewhere In Time And Space...<strong>

When awareness began to return to Kairi, the first thing she realized was that she was lying down somewhere, someplace that was very comfortable, warm and soft. She tried to open her eyes, but the first thing she saw was a blinding white light, causing her to close her eyes immediately and wince in pain.

Kairi then heard Aqua speak, "Try not to move or get up, Kairi, you've been through a lot."

"Aqua?" Kairi asked in a weak tone, barely above a whisper, "where are we?"

"In a special hospital outside Toronto," said Aqua, "we fell through a subspace corridor and wound up here on this parallel Earth."

"Lucky we landed next to a hospital," said Kairi.

"It wasn't luck," said Aqua, "we were brought here."

"What?" Kairi asked as she tried to open her eyes again, but shut them again due to the incredible brightness.

"Your eyes are fully dilated," said an unfamiliar female voice that was full of friendship and warmth, "a side effect of going through a subspace corridor for the first time. If I knew just how much Gideon and Maleficent have been abusing you, I wouldn't have risked hurting you."

"Glad to know you care," said Kairi, "mind telling me who you are?"

"Ramona Flowers, at your service," said the voice, "now, I'm going to turn the lights off and close the curtains. When I do, I want you to slowly open your eyes, slowly."

Kairi then heard the light switch click off, then a series of footsteps walking to one side, then the sound of curtains being closed. "Okay," said the voice, Ramona Flowers, "you cam open your eyes, slowly now."

Kairi did as she was told, cautiously opening her eyes. The dim light from the outside sun being filtered through the curtains was still a little too bright for her, but Kairi could see her surroundings. She was in a standard hospital recovery room with blue walls an a tiled floor. She was wearing white pajamas and in a mechanically adjustable bed with blue and white sheets. On the wall across from here was a TV.

Kairi then saw, sitting in a chair to one side, was Aqua, and standing next to the curtains was a woman in her mid 20's with shoulder-length indigo hair and brown eyes. She wore a blue shirt under a yellow angora sweater and a green and white skirt with boots. Across her shoulders was a large brown handbag.

"How's it going?" Ramona asked as she walked over to another chair and sat down.

"I've been better," said Kairi. She felt around her bed's remote but couldn't find it.

"Here," said Aqua as she stood up, walked over to the bed and found the remote on the opposite side that Kairi was looking for. Aqua then pressed the button that raised the head of the bed, allowing Kairi to sit up, "better?"

"Much better," said Kairi, "now, can someone explain to me why we're here?"

"I thought I told you already," said Ramona, "I saved you from the realm of darkness."

"Which is what I was doing," said Aqua, "I had everything under control."

"Oh sure," said Ramona, "you and Kairi were surrounded by demons and were a few seconds away from being tied up and taken back to Maleficent."

"I'm not saying that I'm ungrateful for saving my life," said Kairi, "but why did you bring me and Aqua here to…I'm guessing that this is your Earth, your world."

"That's right," said Ramona, "born and raised here. As to why I saved you, let's just say that someone very important, someone who wishes to remain anonymous, told me to do it, and I completely agreed with her reasons."

"Her?" Kairi asked, "her who?"

"Even I don't know her real name," said Ramona, "I only know her as Alegra, and she wants you to make a full recovery, Kairi, so you can go back to your friends and loved ones, especially Tess Thatcher."

"How do you know about Tess?" Kairi asked cautiously.

"Only that she's like you and Sora, a Keyblade Wielder," said Ramona, "that she has the power to become invisible, and for a time was a murdering psychopath fighting against a power-hungry tyrant."

"That's Tess in a nutshell," said Kairi, "but what does this Alegra want with Tess?"

"I don't know," said Ramona as she reached into her handbag and pulled out a parchment envelope. She then handed it to Kairi, whom saw that it was addressed to Tess, with no return address, and was sealed with a blob of blue wax with the symbol of a Tiger.

"Alegra gave me that," said Ramona, "she told me to give it to you, so you could give it to Tess when you next see her. Don't ask me what the letter is about, I can't open it, and I don't think you can either."

Kairi tried to open the letter but found that the seal wouldn't budge, as if it was protected by magic.

"I'd say that only Tess can open it," said Aqua, "but that can't be the only reason why Alegra wants Kairi alive."

"There's many more reasons," said Ramona, "most of all for you to be reunited with Sora, but of equally importance is that you give your friends, the new princesses of heart, the talisman, when the time is right."

Just then the room door opened. Kairi briefly saw a brightly lit hallway with a few doctors and nurses. She winced at the slight brightness, then relaxed again as the door closed. She then saw that someone had walked into the room, a man in his mid 20's with slightly shaggy brown hair, brown eyes and wearing a yellow and white t-shirt with blue and white wrist bands, blue jeans and white tennis shoes. Attached to his right wrist via a pair of titanium handcuffs was a large metal case.

"Ah, Ramona?" the man asked, "sorry to interrupt, but…"

"You're Scott Pilgrim, aren't you," said Aqua.

"Uh, yeah," said the man, Scott Pilgrim, "I guess this is a bad time, right?"

"Not really," said Ramona, "Scott, this is Aqua and Kairi, the ones Alegra told me to help."

"Hi," said Scott and he shook hands with Aqua and Kairi, "so, any of you got any ideas who or what Alegra is?"

"Not in the slightest," said Aqua.

"Me neither," said Kairi, "but something else is bothering me," she sat fully up and looked at Scott and Ramona with serious eyes, "involving another letter, one that you left in the vault in Traverse Town."

"Oh, that one," said Scott, "I should have known that one would come back to bite us in the ass."

"It was part of Alegra's plan," said Ramona, "she told us that we had to get the Sacred Talisman of Zumakalis before anyone else did."

"Why?" Kairi asked, "why did you take the talisman when my friends and I needed it to free the realms from the darkness. We could have used it to destroy Maleficent and Gideon."

"And pretty much everything else in the process," said Ramona, "let me guess, Ryuzaki told you about the talisman, right? That it could destroy those who walk in the dark. Well, it can also be sued to destroyed all who walk in the light."

"That's why we wanted to get it before Gideon got it," said Kairi, "if he got it, he could destroy it, or use it for evil."

"It doesn't matter if the person uses it is good or evil," said Ramona, "the talisman itself is a weapon of mass destruction. If used incorrectly it could disrupt the time/space continuum in unpredictable ways."

"What are you saying?" Kairi asked, "what kind of worse case scenario are you talking about?"

"What do you know about Zumakalis?" Ramona asked.

"Well," said Kairi, "my friends and I were told that Zumakalis was the first civilization in what is now the realms of light, that they were the ones who originally walked in the light, but they coveted the light and allowed darkness to enter their hearts."

"That's true," said Ramona, "but what wasn't told to you and your friends, what only a few people know, was that Zumakalis was destroyed by a great and terrible civil war, between light and darkness. The war dragged on for years with no clear winner. Many died on both sides, and yet the war dragged on.

"But then one side, and no one knows which side, created the talisman as a final resort. They believed that the talisman could banish all those on the opposing side, but they seriously underestimated the talismans' power. Both sides were nearly annihilated, with only a few survivors, while the world, Zumakalis was destroyed.

"The talisman survived, only to be lost. It turned up here and there over the eons as the realms of light evolved to what they are now, with no one knowing what it was or how to use it, until The Keyblade War, another great and terrible conflict between light and darkness.

"Again, no one remembers which side used it, but the talisman was used in the war, and effectively ended it. Only a fraction of the talisman's power was used, but the damage was done. Nearly every Keyblade Master and Wielder was killed, creating The Keyblade Graveyard, while the handful of survivors sealed the talisman away on Traverse Town and scattered the keys to the vault. They believed that the talisman would never be used again, but now…"

"Now we need it," said Kairi, "if only to save my friends and to protect the realms of light from the darkness."

"But you don't know how to use it," said Scott as he placed the case on the foot of Kairi's bed, "you could end up killing your friends instead of saving them."

"Is that it?" Kairi asked as she looked at the case, "is that the talisman?"

"It's in this heavy thing," said Scott, "and I got stuck with carrying it."

"Alegra told us that you were the one who could best keep it safe until the right time," said Ramona, "that case is made of adamantium, nearly indestructible. And you're the only one who knows the combination to open it."

"I know," said Scott, "but it's heavy, and the handcuff is starting to chaff my wrist."

"I know," said Ramona in a more sympathetic tone as she walked over and placed her hands on Scott's shoulders in a reassuring manner, "I know it's a big, annoying and altogether unfair responsibility. But you're stuck with it. You know the combination," she then took out a silver key from around her neck, "and I'm the only one who can unlock the handcuffs. We're in this together, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know," said Scott, "but it's so boring to lug this thing around all the time."

"I know," said Ramona, "but it's almost over. Just a little bit longer and it'll be the right time."

"What are you talking about?" Kairi asked, "you just said that the talisman was a dangerous artifact of mass destruction."

"It is," said Ramona, "if used incorrectly."

"And Alegra told you how to use it correctly, right?" Aqua asked.

"She left instructions," said Ramona, "and they're in the case with the talisman. When the time is right, we will give it you and your friends, Kairi, and then you'll be able to use it the way it was meant to be used."

"How was it meant to be used?" Kairi asked.

"Alegra didn't exactly tell us that part," said Scott, "but we trust her enough to believe that she wouldn't lie to us."

"She has her reasons for not telling us everything," said Ramona, "probably because she hopes that she would figure certain things out for ourselves."

At that Kairi sighed in both annoyance and with tiredness, "I guess I'm in no condition to do anything about it right now." she sat back and tried to get comfortable, "so, what now?"

"Well, for now we wait for you to make a full recovery," said Ramona, "then we wait just a bit longer. Alegra told us that it's only a matter of time before Sora and his friends and allies make a counter attack on the realm of darkness. That's when we all meet up with them and finish this conflict once and for all."

"And then we all get back to our normal lives," said Scott.

"Assuming anything is normal," said Aqua.

Kairi wanted to say more and ask more, but she realized that there was nothing she could to do changing things. She then focused on getting better, knowing that once she was able to, she would be reunited with Sora and the others, and that gave her more than enough motivation to recovering.

* * *

><p><strong>…The Old Mansion…Twilight Town…<strong>

"You said that you're waiting for a signal," said Riku to Ansem, "from whom?"

"From a dear friend whom saved me from my own darkness," said Ansem, "the one person who found me after the defeat of Xemnes and Organization XIII."

"And who would that be?" Will asked as he limped over. The bomb blast had forced him to trip and twist his ankle. He insisted that the healers worked on the more seriously wounded before he was treated.

"Aqua," said Edward, "she's the one who helped Ansem make it out of the realm of darkness, and whom remained behind to find a way to defeat Maleficent. And now she is attempting to rescue Kairi.

"If she's the rescuer," said Sora, "then I know that she'll save Kairi."

"But where's the signal?" Riku asked, "if Aqua is as powerful a Keyblade Master as we've been told, what's taking her so long?"

"No doubt Maleficent and Gideon are hindering the rescue," said Ansem, "but I still believe that she will succeed."

"In the meantime," said Max, "we can take stock and work on the next plan."

"A lot of our friends were hurt by the explosion," said Olette as she helped treat some of the wounded, "and one of our friends was taken."

"Which means that it's only a matter of time before Gideon tries to bring Light Yagami out of limbo," said Edward.

"But Usagi said that everything was going to be alright," said Sora, "what did she mean by that?"

"She meant," said Mamoru as he, Rei, Ami, Mina, Mako, Haruak, Michru, Setsuna and Hotaru walked over, all of them returning to their normal attire after the battle ended, "that she planted the seed of her salvation before the fighting began."

"Mind explaining that?" Robbie Ray asked as he was helped out of his MECS suit by Tyler, "for the benefit of those of us who don't really get all this hero stuff?"

"While everyone was getting to know each other before the battle started," said Rei, "I told Usagi-chan that even with everyone fighting, she would be taken, my visions saw that."

"Why didn't you tell us before we all fought so hard and fought for nothing?" Denise asked as one of the healers wrapped a bandage around her cut arm, "we could have tried something else, come up with a different plan."

"Nothing we planned would have changed the outcome," said Rei, "my vision came true, nothing can change that. But I also had a glimpse of how she and the others would be saved."

"Me," said Mamoru, "for as long as I've known her, I've been able to sense when Usako was in danger, right from the beginning when she first became Sailor Moon. This ESP ability that I have, it's part of the connection we have, the link between our souls and hearts."

"We then had the idea of enhancing Mamoru's ESP," said Mako, "and Usagi-chan provided the magic."

"She used a fraction of the power of the Silver Crystal," Mina, "and she used it to make Mamoru-chan's ability stronger and more fine tuned. Now he can sense where Usagi-chan is exactly, as long as she's less than 50 or so kilometers, depending on the weather."

"So we'll be able to find Usagi and the other captured princesses," said Sora, "that's brilliant."

"There's still the fact that it'll be a while before everyone's ready to fight again," said Riku, "and the fact that we have to wait until Kairi's safe. And what about Aiden?"

"We'll find and save them all," said Sora, "I know we will. We just have to figure it out."

"Well I have a few ideas," said Max, "or rather, a few modifications for some of our friends," He looked at Akane, "if I'm not mistaken, you're in need of a new weapon."

"You're right," said Akane as she held up her mallet, which had been shattered during the fighting, "I smashed so many Heartless and Nobodies, but there were just too many. I didn't even realize i had broken my mallet until the fighting was over."

"What you need is something more durable," said Max as he looked at one of the operatives from The Bureau, whom nodded and carried a long case towards Akane. The case was opened, revealing a 5-ft long oak club that was fitted with iron studs.

"A kanabo," said Akane as she looked at the weapon, "a war club used by Samurai, and also the preferred weapon of oni in Japanese mythology."

"This particular kanabo belonged to one of the greatest meta humans whom ever lived," said Andrew as he picked up the iron-studded war club, "Warren Ulrich. He was a true warrior who dedicated his life to the defense of our world. He bought the farm a few years back, going out in a blaze of glory in a great battle, as he wanted it."

"Warren was part of the Bureau long before us Ramblers were formed as a team," said Laura Hurst, "the BPRD was his life, and when he finally died, surrounded by the bodies of slain enemies, he was smiling, his hand gripping his war club which had served him so well in life."

"His kanabo has become a sort of holy relic for the younger meta humans in the Bureau," said Max, "but I'm sure he would have wanted such a reliable weapon to be passed onto someone whom would use it well," he walked over to Akane, "I'm convinced that you're that person."

"Me?" Akane asked, "but…no, I can't accept this. I'm not worthy. I'm clumsy, short tempered and I still can't cook or swim."

"But you've become so much better since the tournament," said Ryoga, "you are a much better person." With that the other Neon Knights nodded in agreement.

"This is a once in a lifetime gift, Akane," said Ranma, "don't be too stubborn to refuse."

At that Akane looked at her friends with grateful eyes, but then she walked up to Max and looked at the kanabo with reluctant eyes, "I probably won't be able to pick it up," she grasped the handle and picked it up. She stained to hold it up, getting used to its weight, but soon she was experimentally swinging it around and found that she liked it.

"I'd say that Warren's weapon has found a worthy user," said Laura.

"Fascinating," said Tatewaki. He then looked at Max, "have you any other 'holy relics' that you wish to pass on to others?"

"As a matter of fact I do," said Max. A few more cases where brought out by Bureau operatives. Max opened three of them, revealing four elaborately crafted knives in each, making a total of twelve, "these belonged to Fay Valentine, they were her favorite blades. They're perfectly balanced for throwing and hand to hand combat," he looked at the twelve Neon Knights, "I'd say it's fate that Fay's knives would find themselves in the hands of twelve outstanding martial artists."

As Ryoga, Felicia, Julia, Ian and the other martial artists took up the knives, another case, one much smaller, was opened, revealing a silvery rod about a foot long.

"This belonged to Steven Austin," said Max as he picked up the rod, "not the smartest of meta human, but his heart was always in the right place." He pressed a hidden switch on the rod and it extended into a 6ft long pole, "made of tritanium alloy, virtually indestructible, and highly effective against demons, and hopefully Heartless and Nobodies."

Sora then looked at Jacob, "what happened to your staff?"

"I completely forgot about it," said Jacob in a startled and slightly dumbfounded tone, "I must have dropped it on Traverse Town, what with all the stuff that's been happening, I haven't thought about it at all."

"Well there's your replacement weapon, Jacob," said Bella, "go on, try it out."

Jacob then took the silvery rod from Max and gave a few experimental swings with it and found that he liked it, "yeah, I think I'm going to enjoy bashing Gideon's head in with this."

Just then Alice, whom was helping one of the healers set a broken bone on one of the heroes, tensed at a sudden, and apparently terrifying vision. "Oh no! not him! Out of anyone who could come at a time like this, not him!"

"Him who?" Harry asked as he held his wand at the ready.

"Xehanort!" said Edward after hearing Alice's terrifying vision, "he comes!"

Just then a Dark Corridor that crackled with black lightning cracked opened, and from it, with his hands behind his back in a contemplative manner, walked a man of pure evil

He was old with weathered, tanned skin; tall with a slightly crooked back, giving his head a permanent tilt forward. He wore a white tunic under a long black coat with black pants, black boots and white gloves. His head was bald with slightly pointed ears and a short gray goatee beard. His eyes were yellow, behind which was an aura of dark, cold intelligence.

"That's Xehanort?" Tess asked, "the one who did all those horrible things eleven years ago?"

"And just what horrible things have been said about me?" the dark man, Xehanort, asked in a deep, slightly raspy voice, "have I achieved such an insidious reputation that I am universally hated by all?" he chuckled, "and here I thought that my resurrection and return to civilization would be greeted with joy and celebration."

He looked at Sora, "and I owe it all to you, young Keyblade Wielder. If it not for you, either my Heartless or Nobody would have wrought chaos across all of existence by their reckless pursuits of Kingdom Hearts."

"Where as you tried to create a weapon of mass destruction," said Ansem in an accusing tone, "the _X_-Blade."

"And you caused so much chaos by unleashing the Unversed on the realms," said Young Watari.

"And you ruined the lives of Terra, Aqua and Ven!" said Roxas as he glared at Xehanort, "you must think you've got some serious guts coming here!" he then summoned his Keyblades.

"Stay your hands, little Nobody," said Xehanort as he raised his hand in a gesture of peace, "I have not come here to seek a conflict with any of you."

"Liar!" snapped Jacob as he readied his new staff, while Akane hefted her new Kanabo and the Neon Knights gripped their new knives.

"No," said Edward, "he's telling the truth."

"You can hear his thoughts?" Bella asked.

"Only enough to know that he's not lying," said Edward, "the rest of his mind is…foggy. Yes, I can only hear what he wants me to hear. Everything else has been concealed from me."

"I learned to defend my thoughts from unwanted eavesdroppers early on in my first life," said Xehanort.

"How do we know you're only thinking about telling the truth?" Tess asked, "that you're only manipulating us."

"I'm afraid that's a risk you'll have to take," said Xehanort, "I only wish to say what I have to say and then I will take my leave."

"So you can plan some other horrible thing to inflict on the realms?" Ansem demanded, "I think not! Sora! You and your friends be on your guard! He may appear to be just an old man, but this creature is quite possibly the most dangerous being alive."

"You flatter me, Ansem the Wise," said Xehanort, "but there is one whom is far darker than I could ever be. As for Sora and the others attacking me, I already anticipated that. Which is why, before I came here, I sent ahead of me a bit of an insurance policy."

"What kind of insurance policy?" Max asked as he placed his hand on the butt of his revolver, ready to draw it in a flash, "I can think of a couple."

"I believe I'll let Edward Cullen explain," said Xehanort. He looked at Edward, lowering his mental defenses and concentrating on a specific thought.

"He planted a neutron bomb," said a shocked and appalled Edward, "somewhere in Twilight Town, one that's linked to his life energy. If anything happens to him, the bomb will detonate."

"I was close," said Max as he drew his revolver, "I guessed that he would use a full nuclear bomb, not just a dirty bomb."

"Before we go further," said Xehanort, "you should all know, the bomb can spread enough radiation to kill every living thing on this world, and more than my death would set it off. I've program the bomb to detonate and release the radioactive fallout at the slightest physical trauma inflicted on my being."

He then looked at Laura, "you and your fellow Scanners will have no success in locating the bomb, not in time that is. Now, I have much to tell you all and not much time to tell it all."

"If you have something to say," said Sora, "then say it."

"Don't listen to him, Sora!" exclaimed Roxas, "this jerk can't be trusted!"

"I agree," said Riku, "I've had half of this monster inside of me. Nothing he says can be believed! For all we know there is no bomb!"

"Again, you'll just have to trust me," said Xehanort.

"Why should we?" Harry asked.

"Because it concerns the fate all in existence," said Xehanort, "in all of reality. Every world, every universe, everything, will be consumed by chaos, if you fail to stop Gideon from bringing Light Yagami out of Mu."

"What are you talking about?" Young Watari asked, "how can bringing Light Yagami back to life cause chaos throughout time and space?"

"I will explain all," said Xehanort, "but first I want your assurance that you will hear me out, listen to my words, then allow me to leave unharmed. Once I'm off the world the location of the neutron bomb will be reveled. These are my terms, do you accept?"

"What happens if we refuse?" Tess asked.

"Then we won't have to worry about Gideon, Maleficent or Kira," said Naminé, "we'll all be dead from radiation poisoning in a manner of hours, those of us with a pulse that is."

"Are we immune to radiation?" Bella asked Edward.

"I'd rather not take the risk," said Edward.

"Then let's hear him out," said Sora.

"Are you crazy?" exclaimed several of our heroes, the loudest of them being Donald and Goofy.

"Maybe," said Sora, "maybe I'm just frustrated about being separated from Kairi for so long, but I'm willing to take a chance and hear what Xehanort has to say."

"If you're willing to take that chance, Sora," said Riku, "then so am I."

"Me to," said Tess, "maybe we're all crazy, so why not go all the way?" she looked at Xehanort, "speak your peace, old man, I won't attack."

One by one the assembled heroes agreed to hear Xehanort out and not harm him.

"Very well," said Xehanort, "let's begin with the beginning. Light Yagami, as many of you know, was a young, brilliant human whom obtained the power to kill nearly anyone he wished with an otherworldly item known as a Death Note.

"One thing lead to another, leading Light Yagami, Kira, to becoming a living god. He tried to remake his world into a paradise of peace and justice, while at the same time sacrificing his sanity. But in the end he was defeated and he died.

"But what sets Light Yagami apart from other villains is that not only does he existed in multiple realities, there is not one known reality in which he survived his final battle, no reality in which he lived. In some realities he was defeated by L, in others it was one of L's protégé's, either Near or Mellow. But in each case, Light Yagami's death was caused by the one being whom knew him best; the Shinigami, Ryuk."

"Ryuk?" Young Watari asked, "yes, I remember now. In my reality, L survived his final confrontation with Kira, only to die several days later, during which he solved a lot of cases. It's far too complicated to explain now, but suffice to say, L destroyed the Death Note that Kira used, but before he did, L was briefly contacted by Ryuk, whom wished to take it back, for it was Ryuk whom dropped the Death Note into the human world to begin with."

"If I may continue," said Xehanort, "no matter how events lead up to his death, Kira died and his soul wound up in Mu. But that's when things began to become unsettling and much more interesting. Mu, Limbo, Todatsh Space, The Dead Zone, while this realm between realms has many names, it is one singular realm, only one."

"But if there's only one limbo," said Sora, "and all those souls of Kira wound up there, wouldn't it be crowded?"

"In a way yes," said Xehanort, "but as fate would have it, every time a parallel soul of Light Yagami arrived in Mu, the soul merged with a previous soul of Light Yagami, becoming one soul, but with twice the experience. Now add another, and another, and another ad infinitum. Eventually this 'oversoul' would have the combined knowledge and experience of an infinite number of Kiras, and as the knowledge of the oversoul increased, so would his mental abilities.

"That is when Kira reached out his consciousness to other realms. His mind was free of limbo, he could go anywhere, but could not interact, except with a chosen few, chosen by the one being more darker than I am.

"That is now the oversoul contacted Gideon Graves and convinced him that Kira was a god of darkness. The two conspired the present plot to free Kira from Mu, and that is when all hell will break lose across time and space."

"We know," said Sora, "Kira will set himself up as a god over the worlds and remake them in his own image."

At that Xehanort laughed cruelly, "is that what you believe will happen?" he asked, "how naïve. No, the outcome of Kira's return to the living realms will trigger a chaotic chain reaction that will spread throughout the realms of light and beyond, to all worlds in all realities. Logic and reason will be rendered worthless and chaos will reign supreme."

"What are you talking about?" Tess asked.

"It's quite simple actually," said Xehanort, "as I said before, in each timeline involving Light Yagami, he willingly used the Death Note. If a human were to just touch a Death Note, he or she will be endowed with the unfortunate ability to see the Shinigami, the gods of death, an unpleasant experience in itself, for while they have likable personalities, Shinigami themselves are terrifying in appearance.

"But once a human uses a Death Note to take the life of another human, the user's soul is doomed to wind up in Mu. Such is the inevitable fate of Light Yagami."

"But how would that cause chaos everywhere?" Sora asked.

At that Xehanort angrily glared at Sora, "you really are naïve, boy. I find it hard to believe that you've survived this long without the ability to reason things out. Just think about what I've told you; it's the destiny of every Light Yagami to use the Death Note and end up in limbo, and to remain there until the end of time, no exceptions. Sure, there have been other souls whom have wound up in limbo, and some of them have had the fortune to escape, some back to the realms of the living, others to their rightful place in the afterlife.

"But not Light Yagami. His hubris, his desire to remake his world into his own image, condemned him to eternity in Mu and never escape. This is a fundamental, yet unwritten law of existence; those who use the Death Note are destined for Mu. If that law were ever violated, if a soul destined to spend eternity in limbo were ever to escape, it would create a paradox that would cause chaos wherever the soul escaped to. Up would be down, light would be dark, and unimaginable creatures of horror that were never meant to be would come into existence. Oh, and it would kill countless millions of people and drive countless more insane.

"Now imagine this scenario amplified many fold by the countless combined souls of Light Yagami that form the oversoul that has been the cause of so much worry recently. Now, can you imagine the level of chaos his release into this reality would cause?"

"That much chaos would spread throughout everything," said a shocked Young Watari, "my god! How could we have overlooked this? I have to tell Ryuzaki!"

"By all means talk to L," said Xehanort, "but there's more to what I have to say."

"What's more to say?" Riku asked, "we've now got a stronger reason to defeat Gideon and Maleficent."

"You think that they're the real enemy?" Xehanort asked, "you only confirm what I've suspected, that so many, both light and dark, have been manipulated by the one more darker than I."

"You keep mentioning someone worse than you," said Naminé, "who, or what, are you talking about?"

"A bring more terrible than you or anyone else can imagine," said Xehanort. He then looked at Sora, "one you've meet before."

"What?" Sora asked, "who is this guy that I already met?"

"Actually," said Xehanort, "you faced his shadow. You fought this shadow before your final battle with my Heartless." He then walked right up to Sora, looking him dead in the eye, "can you not remember fighting a large, black creature with wings and horns and large glowing eyes?"

"We did fight that guy, Sora," said Goofy, "boy, was he creepy."

"Ah, he was a pushover," said Donald as he stubbornly crossed his arms.

"What you fought was only an extension of the dark one's awareness," said Xehanort, "the dark one, Chernabog, exists in a realm of never-ending chaos, unable to physically enter this form of reality, except for his mind. For eons Chernabog has sent his mind out to other realms, manipulating the minds and hearts of innocent people, corrupting them to darkness.

"It was Chernabog whom first brought darkness to the realms of light. It was Chernabog who truly orchestrated the downfall of the Hakonian empire, as well as given rise to countless villains throughout time and space, including Maleficent and Gideon. Chernabog has done this and more, all so he could spread chaos throughout existence and then feed on that chaos.

"And now Chernabog is on the verge of his greatest triumph. By freeing Kira from Mu, he will unleash unimaginable chaos, and Chernabog will dine in this chaos with much pleasure."

"That's horrible," said a shocked Bella, "how can anything so evil exist?"

"Who knows," said Xehanort, "now, I've delivered my warning. And now I shall take my leave."

"What! No!" exclaimed Roxas, "you can't go! Not now!"

"You can't just tell us all this horrible news and leave without telling us more," said Young Watari.

"I've said all that I have to say," said Xehanort as he clasped his hands behind his back, "I've told you all that you need to know. What you all do with that information is up to you, as is whether or not you succeed in this swiftly approaching climax to the drama."

"You have as much stake in this as we do," said Riku, "if we fail to stop Kira, you'll be caught up in the chaos as well."

"I already have my own means of survival," said Xehanort, "I already have. I must now leave. Thank you for your hospitality, but I've taken up too much of your time already, for time is something you have little to waste," he then summoned a Dark Corridor that crackled with black lightning and walked towards it.

"Wait! What about the neutron bomb?" Jasper asked.

"Oh yes," said Xehanort, "I nearly forgot," he looked at Edward, "in case you haven't reasoned it out already, I've given you all the clues you need. Tick tock, Mr. Cullen, tick tock." with that he walked through the Dark Corridor, which closed up after him.

"The clock tower!" said Edward, "At the train station! It's right at the top!"

"Right where me and Axel always had Sea Salt Ice Cream," said an irate Roxas.

"Then what are waiting for?" Hayner asked, "let's go get it!"

"Do you know how to disarm a neutron bomb?" Max asked.

"Uh, no," said Hayner, "but how hard could it be?"

"Harder than you think," said Max as he pulled out an advanced looking cell phone, "it's times like this that we need to call a specialist out of semi retirement." he dialed a long number.

"Multi-dimensional mobile," said Violet Baudelaire, "one of my inventions, which I created using reverse engineered alien technology."

"Who's he calling?" Oliver asked.

"And how high of a phone bill is he racking up?" Lilly asked.

"It's pretty high," said Laura, "as for Max, he's calling the one Rambler whom has disarmed quite a few bombs, neutron and other."

"In the meantime, let's check to see if there really is a neutron bomb," said Edward. With that he, Jasper and Emmet ran out of the area, back towards town.

"What do we do if we can't disarm the bomb?" Jake asked.

"My friend has never failed to disarm a bomb," said Max as he finished his call and pocketed his phone.

Just then a portal opened up, revealing a man in his mid 30's that bore a remarkable resemblance to Adam. Same height, same hair color, if a bit thinner and slightly balding, with the same eyes behind the same glasses. He wore a white shirt under his tan jacket with green cargo shorts and large brown boots. Over his shoulder was a large travel bag that budged with tools.

But there were differences. Where as Adam was calm and straightforward, the newcomer was slightly agitated, nervous, his eyes rapidly darting around, quickly taking in his new surroundings. He then checked a large wristwatch on his left arm, while his right fingers tapped his palm.

"That was, not pleasant," said the newcomer. He then walked over to Max and looked at him with anxious eyes, "I thought we had an agreement, Max. Me and Jill are retired from active missions so we can be with our children. You promised me that the Monaco affair would be the last one."

"I know what I promised, Andrew," said Max, "that mission was the last one you and Jill did as active members of The Ramblers. I personally vouched for your retirement so you could be with your kids. But this is a big one, and I need your help again, my friend, and possibly Jill's."

"NO!" shouted Andrew angrily. He dropped his travel bag and drew from beneath his jacket from a shoulder holster a very large pistol and aimed it at Max, all within the blink of an eye, "you promised me that Jill wouldn't have to risk her life again! That we'd be safe with our children! You promised, Max! Damn it, you promised!"

"I see that living the soft life hasn't decreased your hand speed," said Max.

"That's a Widley .475 auto magnum," said an impressed Adam, "the same pistol that Charles Bronson used in Death Wish 3."

"Oh, you like that movie too?" Andrew asked as he briefly took his eyes off of Max and looked at Adam. He then blinked as he looked at Adam in more detail, "oh, it's you, my evil twin whom I sometimes see in my dreams."

"I've seen you in my dreams sometimes too," said Adam, "and I thought you were the evil one."

Max used this distraction to grab the pistol out of Andrew's hand, "this isn't the first time you pointed that hand cannon at me," said Max, "I hope it'll be the last."

At that Andrew glared angrily at Max, but then he calmed down, tapping his fingers to his palm, "there are times when I wished we weren't friends, this isn't one of those times," he then grinned eagerly and clapped his hand on Max's shoulder, "so, what insanity have you gotten me into this time? I read the briefing, about all the darkness, Heartless and villains, but why did you need me?"

"Things are much worse than we thought, Andrew," said Laura as she walked forward, "but we've got a more immediate problem. There's a neutron bomb on this world and we've got to disarm it quick."

"A neutron bomb?" Andrew asked in a curious tone as he took his pistol back from Max and holstered it, then checked his watch again, "haven't disarmed one of those in a while, but it shouldn't be a problem. Where is the little bugger?"

"Right here!" said Emmet as he, Jasper and Edward carefully carried a large black box into the area. The box was about 5ft cube and had no other markings.

"You moved it!" Andrew asked angrily.

"We made sure it wasn't booby trapped," said Jasper as the bomb was slowly placed on the ground.

"Booby traps aside," said Andrew as he picked up his tools and walked over to the bomb, "the first rule of disarming a bomb is to never move it. A bomb could be sensitive to motion, pressure, temperature, anything can set it off. I thought that vampires, with your so called superior minds and senses, would know that."

"We were trying to get the bomb away from the general population of the town," said Edward.

"And bring it over here of course," said Andrew in an annoyed tone as he took out several complex looking tools from his bag, "where all the heroes are at, and if the bomb goes off, we all get the first blast of radiation," he tapped his fingers on both hands, "might as well get it over with. Everyone stand back, I need my space."

"He knows what he's doing," said Laura to Sora and the others, "Andrew maybe crazy in his own manner, but he's the best at this."

"Well, I'll still be tense for the rest of us," said Tess.

"In the meantime," said Ansem, "we can attempt to figure out why Aqua is taking so long with the rescue of Kairi."

"I know what happened," said Rei, "I just consulted the flames. Aqua did reach Kairi before it was too late. They are both far away from Maleficent and Gideon."

"Then what's taking them so long?" Sora asked.

"They were nearly captured before they could escape the castle," said Rei, "but then, they…vanished, through some sort of door to…somewhere else."

"What are you talking about," Sora asked.

"Did this door have a black star on it?" Laura asked.

"Yes, it did," said Rei.

"Scott and Ramona," sighed Laura, "I should have known."

Just then a letter emerged from out of nowhere and floated down to Sora. He bent down to pick it up, saw that it was addressed to him, then opened and read it.

_Dear Sora,_

_Sorry to make things more difficult for you and your friends, especially at a time like this. We know that you want to see Kairi more than anything else, but we can't bring her back to you, not just yet._

_Relax, she's fine and recovering from her ordeal. And Aqua is okay as well. As soon as Kairi's better, we'll all come and help you fight the enemy and end this mess once and for all._

_We'll also bring The Sacred Talisman of Zumakalis with us, but we can't give it to you until the right time. If you try to use it before the right time, you could end up destroying the realms instead of saving them. We know it's complicated, but you need to trust us on this._

_Again, we're sorry if we've upset you and your friends, but believe us, we're doing this for the benefit of you, your friends and everyone._

_Good luck and we'll see you soon,_

_XOXOXO_

_Scott and Ramona_

"As I said," said an annoyed Laura, "Scott and Ramona."

"Well this isn't right," said Sora as he handed the letter to Riku for him to read, "it's nor right at all."

"Why did they save Kairi and Aqua?" Riku asked as he read the letter, then handed it to Tess, "but won't let them come back to us?"

"And why are they holding onto the talisman?" Tess asked, "we worked so hard to get it, when they had stolen it first. Now they're not going to give it back."

"They said they'd give it back when the time is right," said Will as he looked at the letter, "that it could be a weapon of mass destruction if used wrongly."

"There's more to this than we've been told," said Harry as he looked at the letter, "and being visited by Xehanort created more questions than answers."

"Most importantly why?" Max asked, "why did he come here to warn us?"

"Xehanort has always had his own motives and interests at heart," said Ansem, "I believe that he warned us so that we will be prepared, and be more motivated to stop Kira."

"So he's manipulating us to do his dirty work," said Tess, "as if I had reason enough to hate him."

"Almost done!" shouted Andrew. He hand removed the outer casing of the bomb, revealing the inner workings, a mass of wires and digital circuitry surrounding a baseball-sized black ball made of led.

"That ball has enough refined plutonium inside to irradiate the entire world," said Ansem to Max, "are you sure that your friend knows what he's doing?"

"Yes," said Max. "Andrew has more than his fair share of problems, but he is, without a doubt, the best bomb disposer there is, and a hell of a cook to boot."

"Don't patronize me, Max," said Andrew, "I'm at a critical juncture here. Now," he held a pair of wire cutters in his hand, pointing them at the wires, "now, which one to cut?"

"The red one, of course," said Pence, "it's always the red one."

"In many cases the red wire is the one to cut," said Andrew, "but what do you do when there's more than one red wire?" indeed there were three red wires connecting the plutonium core to the detonator circuit.

"Which one is it?" Lance asked.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," said Andrew, "and I've got less than five minutes to make a choice."

"What?" Sora asked, "how do you know that there's only five minutes left?"

"Less than five," said Andrew, "you'd know that if you'd look at the analog timer," he pointed to an old fashion stopwatch that was counting down to zero, with now four minutes left.

"What do we do?" Riku asked.

"_You _do nothing," said Andrew, "I've got this covered," he placed his hand on one of the wires, "now, which one is the right one?"

"One of Andrew's abilities is his knack for machines and bombs," said Laura, "he can touch any broken machine and if the fault is mechanical in nature, he can sense it. The same sense applies to bombs. By touching it he can know how to disarm it."

"Oh, that son of a bitch!" snapped Andrew has he stood up and took a step back away from the bomb, "all three red wires are the right ones. But the problem is that I have to cut them all at the exact same time. It's designed to detonate if any of the wires is cut even a millisecond sooner or later than the others. They must all be cut simultaneously or it's game over. The man who made this bomb is one sick son of a bitch."

"His name is Xehanort," said Riku.

"Then he's the sick son of a bitch," said Andrew. He then looked at Edward, Jasper and Emmet, "you three, grab some wire cutters from my bag and get over here, now!"

"Don't argue with him," said Max, "I know what he's thinking of. Only vampires can coordinate close enough to disarm this bomb."

"Whatever you say," said Jasper as he, Emmet and Edward picked up a pair of wire cutters each from Andrew's bag and positioned themselves around the bomb, holding the wire cutters above each of the red wires.

"You ready?" Andrew asked as he checked the timer on the bomb, now down to less than three minutes, "cut when I say so, and you must cut as one."

"We know," said Edward, "and we're ready." at that Jasper and Emmet nodded in agreement.

"Then cut!" said Andrew, "Now!"

With that Edward, Jasper and Emmet cut the wires exactly together.

"It's safe now," said Andrew as he began cutting the rest of the wires, severing the plutonium core from the rest of the bomb, "the only danger is if someone breaks open the plutonium containment sphere," he then picked up the led-lined sphere, "and I've already got a plan for this," he looked at Sora, "how would you feel about dropping a nuclear warhead onto your enemies?"

"You can't nuke the realm of darkness!" said Hayer, "that's where our friends are being held prisoner!"

"I never said I would nuke them," said Andrew as he tapped his fingers, "although it would be fun, turning a neutron bomb into a tactical nuclear warhead. Later, maybe. No, what I'm going to do us use this plutonium to make a warhead and use that to set off an electromagnetic pulse, right in the backyard of the enemy."

"That would definitely hinder the enemy," said Young Watari, "especially Gideon. L's sources say that the machine that Gideon will use for his summoning ritual requires enormous amounts of electricity. No doubt he has it shielded against an EMP attack, but if we could generate one strong enough, it would definitely delay his plans and give us the time to mount the counter attack.

"But even with everyone back to full strength," said Neville, "and even with Jake's new powers, it'll take too long to rescue the princesses, considering the amount of dark creatures the enemy has to throw at us," he looked at Jake, "no offense, man."

"None taken," said Jake.

"You should have seen it, Andrew," said Laura, "Jake's a Tekkaman now."

"Really?" Andrew asked, "now I know I want to see this through."

"You sure about that?" Max asked, "I thought you were only here to disarm a bomb, so you could go back to your nice and quiet life with your wife and kids."

"I know," said Andrew, "but since you've dragged me all the way to another universe, I might as well see this through to the end," he then walked right up to Max and looked him dead in the eye with serious eyes, "but don't think that because I'm here you can dragoon Jill into coming as well. She's risked her life enough for all of us. If you even think of calling her so she can come and be 'Lady Deathwish' again, you've got another thing coming, pal!"

"I have no intention of brining Jill here," said Max, "god knows she's earned retirement," he then smiled mischievously, "but if she wants to come, if she chooses of her own free will to get back into the game and help save the world, one last time, you know that not even I can stop her."

At that Andrew laughed heartily, "I won't argue with you on that, man. Jill, she's a force of nature, always have been."

"I sometimes wonder how you two wound up together in the first place," said one of the wizards.

"Long story," said Andrew. He then had a serious look, "but still," he began pacing back and forth in a contemplative manner, "even with a EMP taking out the enemy's electronics, based on the topological layout of the enemy's world, and considering the number of enemy monsters that can be thrown at us, we'll still have a damn hard time getting to their main base."

"That's why we're planning a strategy," said Edward, "but yes, we will need to consider other options."

"What other options are there?" Riku asked.

"The Hakonians," said Harry, "I think it'd be a good idea if we were to work with them."

"No way!" snapped Tess, "those guys have been trying to kill us for a while."

"They've been trying to kill us long before we met you," said Riku, "but I agree, there's no way they'd want to work with us. Too much bad blood between us."

"But they're no longer being used by Maleficent," said Sora, "they're trying to get away from the darkness. Maybe we can help them and they can help us."

"But will they want to help us?" Riku asked.

Just then Young Watari's PDA beeped. He looked at the data on it, "the computer in lab is receiving a message, from the realm of darkness."

"Probably Maleficent and Gideon taunting us again," said Hayner.

"No," said Edward, "if they wanted to talk to us, they would do so directly, they have the means to send their images directly to us. No, this is something else."

"I've got a feeling I know who is trying to talk to us," said Tess, "and I know I'm not going to like it."

A few minutes later found Sora, Riku, Tess, Edward, Harry, Max, Young Watari and Ansem in the Computer Lab in the basement of the house. Young Watari entered a series of commands into the computer, establishing a communications channel with the realm of darkness.

"We should be able to hear the message now," said Young Watari.

On the computer speakers, Sora and the others heard Reddik's voice speaking, "If anyone is able to receive this message, especially if you're the Keyblade Wielders, please respond, there is grave matters in which we need to discuss."

"What do you think?" Riku asked Sora.

"I think it's a trap," said Tess, "they're luring us into letting our guard down, then they'll pull the rug out from under our feet."

"He sounded sincere to me," said Harry, "but then, I've never been that good of a judge of person."

"Neither have I," said Max, "but I'm wiling take this chance, as long as we have a backup plan in place."

"And how many of those have worked?" Edward asked, "not many."

"Stay out of my head," said Max.

"Well we know Reddik," said Riku, "he and the other Hakonians we've fought are ruthless, unscrupulous ad overall downright nasty. But," he sighed, "but if they're really trying to get out of the darkness and are willing to work with us, I'm willing to take the chance."

"If you're willing," said Tess, "then so am I, even though I still think that it'll end in tears."

"Well I'm willing to risk it all," said Sora, "I'm not ashamed to admit that if we're going to beat the enemy and save our friends, then we need help, and the Hakonians may be the help we need," he walked up to the computer and was about to press the button that would allow him to sent a reply message to the realm of darkness, when he paused in thought.

"What is it?" Riku asked.

"He can't remember the words," said Edward, "the words that Grekor asked him to tell Reddik."

"I'm trying to remember," said Sora, "but…" he closed his eyes in frustrated concentration, "I just can't remember. Wait! I know there are three words, and the first word starts with a K. After that…I just can't remember."

"Worry about that later," said Max, "the Hakonians are waiting for a response."

"Right," said Sora. He then pressed the button. A microphone stick rose out of the keyboard and he spoke into it. "Reddik, it's Sora. You want to talk, let's talk." He then pressed another button that sent the message to the realm of darkness.

* * *

><p>"I didn't think he'd be the one to answer," said Reddik, "but I'm not willing to let a golden opportunity pass by."<p>

"What are you going to say to him?" Pete asked.

"What I have to say," said Reddik, "I don't have to like it, but it has to be done," he then pressed the reply button on the communications device, "both our people's are experiencing unusual circumstances, Sora, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

"I agree," said Sora, "we both have a common enemy now, Gideon and Maleficent, and before long we'll have to deal with Kira, if we don't stop him."

"Agreed," said Reddik, "it's in our best interest if your friends and allies were to join forces with my people."

"My friends and I feel the same way," said Sora, "but what about your people? Are all of you willing to work with us?"

"Nearly everyone is ready to do what needs to be done," said Reddik, "there's a few diehards among the nobles whom still think that everything's going to be handed to them on a gold-pressed latinum platter, but we've got them tied up where they can't cause any trouble. Everyone else, Rakel, Nikolai, Katarina and the other nobles, we're all ready to work with the commoners and join forces with you."

"Nikolai and Katarina are working together?" Riku asked, "I thought they hated each other."

"We do," said Nikolai as he spoke into the communications device, "but we've agreed to let bygones be bygones."

"Once this is over," said Katarina, "we go our separate ways, for good."

"Let's hope that we survive for that to happen," said Tess.

"Agreed," said Rakel, "so, what plans have you made towards attacking Maleficent, Gideon and their forces?"

"We've had a lot of ideas," said Harry, "none of them any good, but we're still working on it."

"Who's that?" Reddik asked, "I don't believe we've had the pleasure."

"Harry Potter, wizard and Auror."

"And this is Max Kildare, Rambler, otherwise known as the Indestructible Man. And we do have an idea that might just work. One of my friends has just disarmed a neutron bomb and is working on converting it into a tactical warhead. The plan is to detonate it high above the dark world's surface as to create an electromagnetic pulse."

"That would definitely throw a wrench into the plans of Gideon and Maleficent," said Reddik.

"And it would also fry our hardware as well," said Rakel.

"Not if we shield our equipment with magic," said Nikolai, "it's a simple spell in fact, one that I could easily cast."

"I think we're on to something here," said Sora, "if we really try, we can do this, all of us, together."

"You might just be right," said Reddik, "but don't get any ideas about friendship between your people and mine, Sora. Far too much has happened to mend the animosity between us. As soon as the war is over, my people are leaving for a new place to start over, and we'd be most appreciative if you stay out of our way from then on."

"I won't argue with you on that," said Sora, "okay, when this is over, we'll leave you alone."

"Now let's talk turkey," said Max, "your strategists and ours. If this battle is going to be won, we're going to need to seriously put our heads together."

"Agreed,' said Nikolai, "we've much to discuss and little time to plan."

"I think this might actually work out," said Riku to Sora, "we might just pull this alliance off."

"Yeah," said Sora, "but if only I can remember what Grekor wanted me to tell Reddik, then we'd be in business for real."

* * *

><p><strong>…Hakonian Prime…The Past…<strong>

"How much longer?" Dunkan demanded one of the soldiers manning the nuclear missile facility as he paced back and forth in the missile control room. His group had taken over the silo complex and posted guards at all the entrances and throughout the corridors leading to the control room, while a handful of technicians and military personal he and his Enforcement Bureau goons had picked up and had patched in an emergency generator to the control computers for the missiles.

Now the technicians were feverishly working at rewiring the computers so that they could manually detonate a warhead.

"I said how much longer?" Dunkan snapped, "there is no way we're leaving this world to the common scum!"

"Another minute or so, Lord Shadowhunter," said one of the technicians as he finished splicing two wires together, "another connection and…" he soldered one wire to a circuit, "and that's that," he then pointed to two buttons on the rewired control panel, one blue, the other red, "the blue button arms the warhead, the red one detonates it. It can be aborted by pressing the blue button a second time, but once the red button is pressed, the warhead will detonate after sixty seconds."

"Why can't it detonate immediately?" Dunkan asked, "why wait?"

"That's how the warhead works, my lord," said the technician, "please, don't make this any harder for the rest of us."

Just then one of the Enforcement Bureau goons burst into the room, "master, this has got to stop! The empire is finished, so why waste our lives in fruitless revenge when we can still escape! The commoners are fleeing in old starships, as are some of the nobles, so why not try and get to a ship before they're all gone?"

Dunakn responded by rushing over to the goon and breaking his neck with one chop, "because I say so," he said, "I am still your lord and master, and you will obey! You hear me? If I say we are to die and take a few of the common filth with us, then you will do it!"

Just then a high pitched sound could be heard, followed by a low groaning and wheezing and a sudden gust of wind that came out of nowhere.

In utter surprise, Dunkan and his diminished entourage watched as The TARDIS materialized.

The door of the blue box opened and from it stepped The Doctor, "sorry we're late, the postman dropped our invitation somewhere."

"You," spat Dunkan, "you filthy spy!" He then pulled out his axe, "I'll kill you, alien scum!"

Just he rushed at The Doctor and raised his axe for the kill, Aiden burst out of The TARIDS and blocked the axe with his Keyblade, "I wasn't invited," said Aiden as he parried the blow and struck back with a thrust, forcing Dunkan back, "so I decided to crash!"

"We're just here for the food," said Amy as she and Rory stepped out of The TARDIS.

"Go ahead and joke," said Dunkan in a vicious tone, "you won't be laughing for long!" he looked at the technician, "Press the buttons! Now!"

With terrified eyes and nervously sweating buckets, the technician started towards the control panel.

"No can do!" said The Doctor as he aimed his Sonic Screwdriver at the control panel and short-circuited it. "Sorry about that, but things are chaotic enough for this world."

"We're not going to let you kill Karl and the others!" said Aiden.

"You insolent spies!" snapped Dunkan.

"And for the last bloody time!" said Amy, "we're not spies!"

"Do we look like spies?" Rory asked "Honestly."

"You're spies because I say you're spies!" snapped Dunkan, "I am of the Hakonian elite! My word is law!"

"You're insane!" said Rory.

Aiden also had something to say about Dunakn's sate of mind, but before he could say it, he saw something that would soon send shivers up his spine. A black mass, like a shadow, crept across the floor towards Dunkan.

In his mad raving, Dunkan failed to notice the creeping shadow at all. The shadowy mass then stood up, still two dimensional, but now had a more humanoid, or rather, demonic due to the horn shapes on the head and the black wings protruding from the back, and latched onto Dunkan, enveloping the insane Hakonian before he had a chance to resist.

He shook violently as the shadow creature began absorbing into his body At the same time The Doctor, Aiden, Amy and Rory, just stood there, watching the horrific spectacle unfold.

After a few seconds the shadowy creature had completely absorbed itself into Dunkan. He stood there stock still with his eyes closed. But then his eyes popped open, and they now glowed yellow.

_"Well now,"_ said Dunkan in a voice that deeply reverberated with living evil, _"isn't this a sight to see,"_ he looked at the four travelers, specifically Aiden and The Doctor, _"The Keyblade Alchemist and the very last Time Lord, together."_

"How do you know that's what I'm called?" Aiden asked, "And who…I mean…what are you?"

_"I believe you already know whom I am,"_ said Dunkan, _"or rather, The Doctor knows who I am."_

"Chernabog, I presume," said The Doctor.

"Chernabog?" Aiden asked, "you're that thing that Yurik took orders from. And, wait…I think I remember now, Sora once talking about you. Didn't you lose to him, Donald and Goofy when they were on their way to stop the Heartless of Xehanort from opening Kingdom Hearts?"

_"That was only my shadow that young Sora fought,"_ said Dunkan, or rather, Chernabog, _"I was merely observing and enjoying the chaotic events as they unfolded when Sora and his companions encountered me. Had I used my full power in that battle, Sora would not have stood a chance,"_ he smiled viciously, _"and his soul would have been mine forever."_

"But that was in Aiden's time," said Amy, "how could you have been there and now you're here in the past?"

_"Poor foolish human,"_ said Chernabog, _"mine is the power to transcend time and space. I can send my shadow to any point in existence; past, present and future."_

"If you're so powerful," said Rory, "why do you need minions like Yurik to do your dirty work?"

"And why are you possessing Dunkan?" Amy asked, "not that he was better off before you did it."

_"I do so because it amuses me,"_ said Chernabog, _"and that sometimes it pleases me to speak with those I torment. I am more than a creature of darkness, I am a lord of chaos. I take sustenance from chaos. Whenever a war escalates to an all out bloodbath, I am there. Whenever a power figure leads his people onto the path of tyranny, I am there. Whenever a civilization collapses into anarchy, I am there to reap the benefits."_

"Or cause them, you sick bastard!" said Aiden as he raised his Keyblade, "you did this! You ruined the Hakonian Empire! And now you're name is mud!" he rushed at Chernabog.

But the possessed Hakonian raised just one finger and Aiden was thrown back by a powerful invisible blast that slammed him to the floor.

_"Try that again, mortal,"_ said Chernabog, _"and it will be the last thing you do in that life."_

"I'm not eager to die just yet," said Aiden as Amy and Rory helped him up, "so, what now?"

_"Now,"_ said Chernabog, _"you die of course,"_ he then pointed at the control panel that The Doctor had just shorted out. The blown circuits began repairing themselves and wires resealed and were put back in place.

"You're going to blow yourself up with us?" Amy asked, "you're just as crazy as Dunakn!"

_"Have I not made it clear by now?"_ Chernabog asked, _"I cannot be destroyed! I am eternal! Only this pathetic lump of flesh that my shadow is residing in will die, while my shadow shall travel to another world in another time to wreck more chaos."_

"So that's your game," said The Doctor, "wreck chaos on one world after another and get fat on it. Very clever," he clapped sarcastically, "very clever indeed, old boy. But I'm afraid you're just going to have to go hungry this time around."

_"You overestimate yourself, Doctor,"_ said Chernabog, _"for when I am finished with this world, I shall move forward in time to the time of Sora and finished what was started on that fateful day, and partake in the feast to end all chaotic feasts."_

"What does that mean?" Aiden asked.

_"I shall 'encourage' certain aspects of the conflict to come,"_ said Chernabog, _"as we speak, many thousands of years into the future, yet has already happened, Sora and his companions and allies are preparing to invade New Hollow Bastion and rescue the Princesses of Heart, and the silly twat Kairi."_

"So Maleficent and Gideon did get them," said Aiden, "then there's no time to waste," he aimed his Keyblade at the control panel, which by now had fully repaired itself, and shot a bolt of Alchemic energy at it, intending to transmute the whole thing into mud.

But Chernabog raised another finger and the Alchemic blast faded out of existence before it hit the panel.

_"It seems that I am going to have to eliminate you troublemakers personally,"_ said Chernabog, _"before I increase the chaos on Hakonian Prime."_

"There's still this," said The Doctor as he held up his Sonic Screwdriver, "the fact that Hakonian uniforms have all that metal in them." He used his Sonic Screwdriver to magnetize the cuff buttons on Dunkan's coat, forcing Chernabog's wrists together.

_"Very clever, Doctor,"_ said Chernabog as he struggled to free his wrists, _"but not clever enough! This form is only a tool! The power is all mine!"_ he looked at the control panel and the button to detonate the warhead was pressed.

But instead of an instant detonation, a 60 second countdown started.

_"This world will fall to the chaos,"_ said Chernabog, _"I will dine on the death and destruction afflicting the Hakonian race, leaving only a few alive out of the entire species, only to carry on their dark legacy until such time as their presence will ensure more chaos. But it matters not what happens, for you four will not be around to see it!"_

"You forget one thing," said The Doctor, "I have a blue box that travels through time and space!" he looked at Amy, Rory and Aiden, "TARDIS time, everyone!"

They ran back to the TARDIS. But Chernabog looked at the blue box and the door slammed shut before The Doctor could touch it.

_"There is no escape,"_ said Chernabog.

"That's not funny," said The Doctor, "let my TARDIS go, now!"

_"This is the end for you, Doctor,"_ said Chernabog, _"you and your companions. One way or another you will die, if not by my hand here, then eventually by The Silence."_

"But who or what is The Silence?" Amy asked.

_"That is not important,"_ said Chernabog, _"what is, is that you are all finished, now and forever."_

"No!" said Aiden, "I haven't gotten this far to die here in the past!" he threw a Strike Raid at Chernabog, but the dark creature looked at the spinning Keyblade, halting it before it touched him, but it still spun in midair.

"You're going down, freak-job!" snapped Aiden as he held out his hands to focus his power on his Keyblade, trying to break past Chernabog's power.

_"You fool!"_ snapped Chernabog,_ "persistence is futile! You are going to die and there is nothing you can do to stop it!"_ he then broke the magnetic force on his cuffs and raised his hand to deliver a killing blast.

"There's one thing that can be done!" said Rory as he grabbed the Sonic Screwdriver out of The Doctor's hand and aimed it at Chernabog. Instantly, the possessed Hakonian's hair burst into flames.

_"Hmm, I do believe I am on fire,"_ said Chernabog in a nonchalant tone, _"it matters not, for time is almost up!"_

Amy saw that they were down to twenty seconds. She then did something incredibly brave and incredibly reckless. She took her left shoe off and threw it at Chernabog, hitting him on his forehead. This, combined with everything else, broke Chernabog's concentration, allowing Aiden's Keyblade to strike him hard across the chest and knocking him down.

Aiden recalled his Keybalde back to his hand at the same time that the door for The TARDIS opened.

"Go! Now!" shouted The Doctor, "running would be great right about now!" They all ran into the TARDIS, closed the door and the ship vanished into time, with ten seconds left on the countdown.

_"Fools,"_ said Chernabog as the last few seconds ticked away, _"they will meet their doom, if not now, then in due time, for I have all the time in the universe."_

Just then the last second clicked away and the warhead erupted into a 50 megaton fireball that completely incinerated everything within 30 miles of ground zero and delivering massive devastation and death further out.

* * *

><p>Several thousand miles up in space, The TARDIS materialized in the vacuum, safe and sound.<p>

"And now we can tell our children that we outran a nuclear fireball," said Amy as everyone in the control room let go of whatever they were holding onto.

"We'll save the tale for holidays," said Rory. He looked at the view screen, where an image of the same nuclear explosion they had just avoided had turned into a mushroom cloud.

"It's hard to believe that it came to this," said Rory, "the Hakonians, how could they have allowed themselves to get into such deep trouble? How could they have let themselves be enslaved by irresponsible idiots?"

"They made a choice," said Aiden, "they choose to put their lives and hearts into the hands of those whom they believed could help them, lead them to a better future. They believed that they were doing the right thing, letting others think for them, when the ones being put in charge only thought of themselves."

Aiden then suddenly had a flash of insight, remembering what the voice at The Gate of Truth told him, that after meeting The Doctor, he would ask a very important question.

"Doctor?" Aiden asked, "is the nature of light and darkness more than a matter of the heart?"

"It's so much more," said The Doctor, "it's more than the difference between emotions; love and hate, and more than the choice between good and evil. It's about the balance between mind, body and heart, and a whole lot of other stuff that's all philosophical, complicated and boring."

"Well I get it now," said Aiden, "and I think I have a better understanding of what I have to do."

"What about Karl and the others?" Amy asked suddenly, "that spaceport couldn't have survived."

"It didn't," said The Doctor as he pulled up a larger view on the scanner screen of the fading fireball and rising mushroom cloud. The scanner zoomed out, revealing massive areas of devastation across the worldwide city, either by conventional fire or by nuclear annihilation.

But there were signs of hope for the doomed city world. Here and there starships were rising up to orbit. Others were breaking orbit and were cruising away from the planet. Once they were outside the planet's gravity well, they jumped into hyperspace.

"I hope Karl, Jessika and the others are on one of those ships," said Rory.

Just then a message light on the control consol beeped, signaling that someone wanted to talk to The TARDIS.

"It's from our favorite Hakonians," said The Doctor.

"Well don't just stand there," said Aiden, "let's hear it!"

"I can already hear you people," said Karl over the radio, "just so you know, I'm fine, Jessika's fine, Lukas is fine, and a lot of others are fine."

"We thought you didn't make it," said Amy.

"We took The Doctor's advice," said Karl, "we saved as many people as we could, but we didn't wait, and a lot of good people didn't make it."

"And more than a few of bad people made it too," said Jessika, "a lot of nobles got off the planet, but we'll deal with them when we have the time."

"Right now we're going to try and get everyone who made it off of Hakonian Prime to rendezvous somewhere safe," said Karl, "and hopefully link up with survivors from the other worlds in the empire. We'll start over and try and do things better."

"I can only wish you all luck," said The Doctor.

"Don't bother, Doctor," said Jessika, "we can guess what's coming, but we're still going to try. If the nobles try to take over again, we'll either fight them, or go somewhere else ourselves."

"Just promise me this," said Aiden, "if things do turn out for the worse, make sure that there's a plan to get yourselves out of it, like choosing a rightful set of leaders somewhere down the line."

"We'll keep it in mind," said Karl, "goodbye, and thank you again."

"Any time," said The Doctor, and with that the communication ended.

"What was that all about?" Rory asked Aiden.

"Just acting on a hunch," said Aiden.

"Do you really think they'll make it?" Amy asked, "find a new world and start over?"

"Karl and his people might," said The Doctor as he pulled up an article from the TARDIS library and put it on the main screen, "but for the rest of the surviving Hakonians, the commoners soon fell sway under the nobles, and remained all the way to when their nomadic ancestors became the minions of Maleficent."

"So it was all for nothing," said Aiden, "or maybe not. Maybe we were supposed to go back and ensure that the empire fell."

"What good did that do?" Rory asked.

"We know the true reason why the Hakonian Empire fell," said Amy.

"Chernabog," said Aiden, "he's behind pretty much everything. I have to warn Sora, which reminds me," he looked at The Doctor, "I hope you remember your promise."

'No need to remind me," said The Doctor. He then rushed about the control panel and programmed it for time flight, "next stop, New Hollow Bastion, in the right time this time!" He threw the final lever, the central column rose and fell and the ship lurched and tumbled about through the time vortex.

"Here we go again!" said Aiden as he, Amy and Rory grabbed onto the control panel for support.

**The end of chapter 9.**

Next chapter, the final battle finally begins. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie, see you next time!


	10. Chapter 10: The Final Battle Begins

Last time found Sora and the gang having a talk with the last person they wanted to talk to; Xehanort, who warned our heroes of the real danger. If Gideon succeeds in freeing Light Yagami from limbo, it would send reality spiraling into unimaginable chaos, and the true evil behind this diabolical plot was Chernabog. As our heroes struggled to come to terms with this information, they received word from Reddik and his fellow Hakonians that they were willing to form an alliance to defeat their common enemy.

At the same time, Gideon began preparations fro the ritual to free Kira, by strapping al seven Princesses of Heart into his machine. Soon he will be ready.

Back in the past, Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory tried to stop the rogue nobles and enforcement bureau from detonating a nuclear warhead, killing the rebel Hakonians. One thing lead to another, resulting in Aiden and his time traveling friends confronting the shadow of Chernabog and learning the full depth of his evil. Our time travelers then escaped the nuclear blast via The TARDIS, then learned that the rebel Hakonians escaped Hakonian prime with thousands of survivors. They then set out to return to the present day. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 10: The Final Battle Begins**

**...The Old Mansion...Twilight Town**

"Let's go over the plan again," said Reddik.

"We've already been over it," said Tess, "what's more to understand?"

"This is more important than anything else that's happened before," said Rakel, "any screw-up's from any of us could spell ruin for everyone."

"Except for the enemy of course," said Katarina.

"That's probably the most intelligent thing you've ever said," remarked Nikolai.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," said Katarina.

"Any chance we can get back on track?" Riku asked. "We could talk in circles until we're blue in the face after we win."

"True," said Reddik, "now, let's go over the plan."

"Right," said Sora, "as we speak, Ansem, Young Watari and the other brains are setting up a link to a new computer outside. This new computer will create a portal to the realm of darkness large enough for about ten or twelve of us to go through at once."

"Once the portal is stabilized," said Riku, "our friend Andrew will fire his retrofitted nuclear warhead into the realm of darkness. It'll then climb up to an altitude of several hundred kilometers and detonate, creating an electromagnetic pulse, disabling the enemy's electronics."

"While our technology will be shielded by my magic," said Nikolai, "that's Phase One."

"Right," said Riku, "Phase Two starts with several of us going through the portal to establish a bridgehead on the other side, securing the area around the portal. When the first group secures the immediate area, they'll send a signal back to the others and the second group will go through. Each successive group will send a signal that it's safe for the next one. At the same time the Hakonian fighters will launch smaller attacks across the dark city at random points, creating as much confusion for the enemy as possible."

"We'll be ready on our end," said Rakel, "our forces are moving into position as we speak. Once we start, there'll be so many flashpoints across the dark city, Maleficent and Gideon will have whiplash trying to decide which one to counterattack first."

"I hope it hurts," said Tess, "and with that we move onto Phase 3; once everyone is on your side of the portal, our guys will launch a full-scale attack on New Hollow Bastion, while we link up with you guys."

"We'll meet in front of Memory's Skyscraper," said Reddik, "leading to Phase 4; the four of us, me, Rakel, Nikolai and Katarina, we'll go with Sora, Riku, Tess and a few others to New Hollow Bastion via a secret tunnel, leading deep inside the castle. We'll be able to get inside without the enemy knowing we're there, until we run into Heartless that is."

"Just how did you find this secret passage?" Tess asked.

"That would be the doing of our friend Falkons Everdark and Tylek Bladewrath," said Rakel, "they and the other rebel leaders will carry on their part of the outside battle. As for us, the strike team will make their way through the castle and locate the captured princesses."

"What about Kairi?" Sora asked, "and Aqua too."

"Last we heard of Aqua," said Rakel, "she had infiltrated the castle in order to get Kairi out, nothing since, nothing good or bad. From what we know, Maleficent has a grudge against Aqua and if Aqua had been killed or captured, then Maleficent would be celebrating."

"But we've heard nothing," said Nikolai, "meaning that Aqua must have succeeded somewhat."

"We'll find out what really happened when we get there," said Katarina. "And here comes mysecond favorite part, foiling Gideon's plan to summon Kira. We've learned that Gideon has a really horrible machine set up and he's got the princesses strapped into it. He's gonna drain their life energies and use them to rip open a door to limbo. But we'll get there before the ritual is finished. We save the princesses and smash the machine, leading to the very best part, Phase 5; blowing up New Hollow Bastion."

"As we make our way through the castle," said Nikolai, "I will be using my magic to place demolition spells across the castle. Once we've rescued everyone needing rescuing and we've evacuated the castle, I'll activate the demo spells and destroy New Hollow Bastion once and for all, and if we're lucky, we'll destroy Gideon and Maleficent as well."

"And if we don't destroy them then," said Reddik, "we'll figure out something else later. But moving on to the last part, Phase 6; we initiate a general retreat for all our forces, heroes and Hakonians. We make an end-run to the portal, go through and close it."

"But not before we leave a little going away present for the realm of darkness," said Nikolai, "us magic users in both groups will combine our powers to create a black hole. The World That Never Was shall return to the nothingness that it came from, hopefully destroying Maleficent and Gideon in the process."

"And if that doesn't work," said Sora, "if they're still alive and wanting a fight, we'll think of something else."

"All in all I think it's a good plan," said Rakel, "there's still a lot that can go wrong, so we'll have to work out backup plans as well."

"It's still a good plan," said Sora, "I think we've done a good job."

"Tell us that when the battle is won," said Nikolai.

"I mean us working together," said Sora, "not too long ago we were doing our very best to kill each other, now we've got a reason to cooperate."

"War makes strange bedfellows," said Reddik, "but yes, we have made progress."

"But we're not going to be friends when this is over," Rakel insisted.

"I won't argue with that," said Sora, "but still…"

"But nothing," said Reddik, "this is a one time alliance, Sora, a mutual cooperation against a common enemy. If you can't understand that my people want nothing to do with yours once this is over, then this has all been for nothing."

"Just let it go, Sora," said Riku, "we can't make them change their minds."

"At last, you see the logic of the situation," said Nikolai.

"And here I thought you were the illogical ones," said Riku.

"I think we've talked enough for now," said Rakel, "Our forces will be in place in one hour, so make sure you have the EMP warhead by then. Maleficent may have been ignoring us so far, but once we start and she realizes that we're still here, she'll land on us Hakonians with both feet."

"We'll be ready," said Tess.

"Then there's nothing more to say," said Reddik, "we'll see you on the other side. Transmission out!" with that the communications link was cut.

"Well, we've thrown our lot in with those who've done their best to try and kill us," said Tess. "I'd be happier with this if they'd at least wish us good luck."

"Same here," said Harry, "they could have been a bit more courteous on their part."

"Considering their history with Sora and his friends," said Max, "I'm not surprised by their discourtesy. But my impression is that they were completely honest on their part. They'll help us as much as they can, assuming we can carry out our end of the plan."

"Speaking of which," said Ansem, "how soon can your friend Andrew complete the new nuclear device?"

"He should have it ready now," said Max, "or very, very soon, assuming he hasn't lost his touch."

Just then Andrew walked into the room, a bottle of hand sanitizer open and him rubbing some of it onto his hands, "bomb's ready," he said, "when do you want it?"

"In one hour," said Max, at which Andrew checked his watch, "one more hour and we invade the realm of darkness."

"Which gives me enough time to whip up a special snack for everyone before we go," said Andrew as he checked his watch again. He looked at Ansem, "which way to the kitchen?"

"I'd be more than happy to show you," said Ansem, "I'm curious; some of your fellow Bureau operatives claim you to be the best chef on your world."

"Well, I've never claimed to be the very best," said Andrew modestly as he and Ansem walked out of the room, "but on occasion I've been known to create dishes that can make ones taste buds do the conga."

"He's not lying," said Harry, "his treacle fudge alone is enough to rival what they have for desert at Hogwarts."

"And in the meantime," said Max to Sora, "you can use the time to prepare your speech."

"What speech?" Sora asked.

"The one you're going to give to the troops before the big battle," said Max.

"He's right," said Riku, "Sora, you have to say something to everyone before we start the battle."

"What should I say?" Sora asked, "it's not that I'm nervous, I know I can make a speech, but I don't know what words to use."

"It should be strong and motivating," said Max, "something to strengthen the heart and inspire courage."

"And you should talk to each person that you know," said Sora, "talk to them about their strengths and triumphs."

"And how everything's going to be alright once the war is over," said Tess, "I can help with that, I herd a lot of what the rebels on Metamore talked about what they would do once Phobos was out of the way."

"I think I've got an idea already," said Sora, "but, you'll help me out when the time comes, right?"

"Without a doubt," said Sora.

* * *

><p><strong>…Toronto, Another Earth…<strong>

"I'm definitely feeling better," said Kairi as she carefully stood up from the bed and took a few steps forward.

"Don't strain yourself," said Ramona, "you've been brought to the brink of death and back twice within a very short span of time, all to feed the energy needs of an abomination of a copy of you. That, combined with everything else Gideon and Maleficent did to you, it's all completely unforgivable."

"I've been keeping a list of the evils that Maleficent has done in my mind," said Aqua, "and I've started a list of Gideon's misdeeds."

"Should you be doing that?" Kairi asked, "constantly thinking about the enemy's actions? Wouldn't it wear on your heart?"

"I know of the risks of holding dark thoughts in ones mind," said Aqua, "but as a Keyblade Master, I'm responsible for upholding justice whenever I can, despite the risk of meddling. Even if it takes years, decades, justice must be upheld, especially when the perpetrators are such evil monsters."

"Well just let me at them!" said Kairi, "I'll show them justice like they've never seen."

"You're still a long way from being able to fight," said Ramona, "soon, but not yet."

At that Kairi sighed, "I'm just…I feel like every second I'm away from Sora and the others is…"

"I know," said Aqua, "being separated from my friends has been just awful for me," she then sighed, "now that I've thought about it, I could have left the realm of darkness any time I wanted, but was too confused, to deep in my own misery to care. I had to lose myself to find myself."

"You think you've had troubles?" Ramona asked, "I had Gideon's despicable technology on me for a long time. I tried to get away from him and all my evil exes, trying to isolate myself from those whom would get hurt because of me. I tried to have a normal life though; I had a great job and lots of friends, but no boyfriend.

"But then I met Scott and everything changed. He saved me in more ways than one, and I also saved him. We were both alone inside, eking out each day, thinking that we had okay lives when we were missing something; each other."

"Ah, soul mates," said Kairi, "a wise friend once told me that one can spot the signs of true love when you know what to look for. I only just met you and Scott, but I can tell that you two were made for each other."

"True, all true," said Ramona,

At that Kairi got up again and took a few steps, going a bit further than before, "I'm definitely getting better. But when I am ready, what will we do to help Sora and the others? Are we going to just barge in and kick evil ass? Or do we have a bigger plan?"

"We're working on a plan as we speak," said Ramona, "I pulled a few favors with some friends I haven't seen in a while, they're going to give us some help. Scott, aside from keeping the talisman safe, has been trying to get some of his friends to help. I know that Knives will want to help, but the others, Steven, Neil and Kim, I don't know, what with Sex Bob-omb's new album coming out and their new tour, they're a definite maybe."

"Alegra said that we might be on our own for this," said Aqua, "Me, you, Kairi, Scott, maybe Knives, if we're lucky."

"We'll just have to see what happens," said Ramona.

"Just what is the deal with Alegra?" Kairi asked, "she wants to help us but won't tell us who she really is. How can you really trust her?"

"How could we trust Ryuzaki?" Aqua asked, "he seemed sincere about wanting to help, so I can only guess that Alegra is sincere as well."

"She hasn't lied to us yet," said Ramona, "I've always believed that she hasn't told us the whole truth, but she hasn't lead us wrong since."

Kairi was about to say something else, but she suddenly yawned deeply, "I don't know why," she said as she sat back down, "but I feel like I could sleep a week, and I don't want to, there's no time to sleep."

"Well do get some sleep," said Aqua, "you'll need all your strength when we're ready to fight."

Kairi laid down on the bed, but she didn't try to go to sleep, "I feel tired, but my mind is going a hundred miles per hour. There's no way I'm going to get any sleep like this."

"You're just stressed," said Ramona, "my advice; a little tea infused with a restoring potion to help you calm down and regain your stamina," she walked to the door and spoke to one of the nurses outside, whom then brought in a tray with a thermos of hot water, a pair of teacups and a wide variety of instant tea bags.

"Name your preverbal poison," said Ramona as she looked through the variety of tea bags, reading their names off rather rapidly, "we have Blueberry, Raspberry, Gnseng, Sleepy time, Green Tea, Green Tea with lemon, Green Tea with lemon and honey, Liver Disaster, Ginger with honey, Ginger without honey, Vanilla Almond, White Truffle, Blueberry Chamomile, Vanilla Walnut, Constant Comment and... Earl Grey," she then looked at Kairi, "but for you, I'd recommend Sleepy Time." she then began preparing a cup of said brand that was already mixed with the restoring potion.

"Did you make some of those up?" Kairi asked.

"That's what Scott said to me once," said Ramona as she poured some hot water into a cup with the selected tea bag. Within seconds the tea was ready. She carried the cup over to Kairi, "now sip this and try to relax. We'll wake you up when the time's right, and hopefully by then you'll be ready to go."

"Here's hoping," said Kairi as she drank her tea. It wasn't long before she was fast asleep.

"Let's all hope that we're all ready," said Aqua as she pulled Kairi's blanket up over her, making the sleeping girl more comfortable. She then looked at Ramona with serious eyes and spoke in a whispered tone, "I know you saved us, but this may be the only chance I'll get to say this; no matter what, we have to make sure that Sora and Kairi are brought back together. They're the only ones whom can truly save us all from the coming darkness."

"I believe you," said Ramona, "trust me, we'll be ready."

* * *

><p><strong>…New Hollow Bastion…<strong>

"A most interesting tome," said Maleficent as she finished perusing Gideon's Necronomicon, "and a worthy diversion, but enough time has been wasted. How soon until you can commence the ritual?"

"The machine needs just a few more minutes to fully power up," said Gideon, "and then the real fun begins."

"Then now is the time to proceed with my own plans," said Maleficent. "Xorat! Kiraxi! Attend to me!"

"We obey, great one," said both Xorat and Kiraxi.

"The time has come for the two of you to mate," said Maleficent.

"Oh, that," said Xorat in a slightly uncomfortable tone.

"Copulation," said Kiraxi in an indifferent tone, "how tedious."

"This will not be reproduction as you know it," said Maleficent. She then raised her staff, "hold perfectly still and you will be transformed!" she then cast her dark magic on the two minions. The two of them glowed with dark purple magic for a few seconds, both of them gasping as the energies altered their physiology. The magic then faded from their bodies and they seemed to be none the worse for wear.

"Did it work?" Xorat asked as he looked at his hands, seeing no change.

"I seem to be unaffected," said Kiraxi as she also looked at her hands.

"Believe me," said Maleficent, "you have been changed. Now, bring your left hands together."

"We obey," said Xorat and Kiraxi. The two of them brought their left hands together, their palms touching and fingers intertwining.

Maleficent then raised her staff again and began chanting a spell. Their clasped hands then began glowing green and a field of green magic surrounded them. The field pulsed regularly, but then grew faster and brighter.

"What's going on?" Lyra asked, "I can't see what they're doing!"

"I have no idea what's going on," said Nessie, "but, whatever it is, it's evil."

After a few minutes the pulsing green magic was so bright and fast it was like a constant evil glow. Then it flashed and was gone. The two villains gasped and then broke apart from each other.

"It is done," said Maleficent as she lowered her staff.

"It is?" Gideon asked.

"Look," said Maleficent as she pointed to where Xorat and Kiraxi had been standing, "and behold the future."

Hovering in midair was a large, glowing green mass of magic that pulsed with pure malice.

"This is our offspring?" Xorat asked as he and Kiraxi looked at the green mass.

"That is the protomass from which your offspring will emerge," said Maleficent, "from here I can create one superior dark warrior within thirty days," she looked at the protomass, "or wait a full year for the twelve that I desire. I choose the later," she then vanished the protomass, "I've sent it to a secure location. In exactly one years' time it will complete maturation and my new dark warriors will be born."

"I'll remember to bring some champagne for the occasion," said Gideon, "but where is this secure location?"

"Secure," said Maleficent, "I alone know where it is, and nothing can convince me to reveal the location. Now, is the machine ready for the ritual?"

"Almost," said Gideon, "I want to recheck everything. If anything goes wrong, we may never get another chance to free Lord Kira."

"You guys are insane!" snapped Nessie.

"That's your opinion," said Gideon, "even if we are, it's too late to stop. Nothing will prevent Lord Kira's return to the living realms! Nothing!"

* * *

><p><strong>…The Old Mansion…Twilight Town…<strong>

"You ready, Sora?" Riku asked. He, Tess an Sora were standing before all the assembled heroes, waiting for Sora to deliver his speech.

"No, I'm not," said Sora, "all the stuff we talked about what I would say, none of it is good enough. It's all stuff that's been said before."

"Well," said Harry, "if you're unhappy with what you wanted to say, just tell the truth."

"The truth?" Sora asked.

"I've always told the truth to my friends," said Harry, "believe me, telling your friends where things really stand does help put things into perspective, and make sure to tell how you feel."

"Right," said Sora. He took a few breaths to get ready, then addressed the assembled heroes, "I don't know what's going to happen next, not for sure. We have a plan, a good one, but a lot of things can still go wrong.

"But a lot can still go right, if we try our best and stay together. The enemy has fear, hate and a lot of dark emotions on their side, but as long as we've got courage, hope and friendship on our side, we can win. As long as we don't give up, so long as we remain true to ourselves and each other, we can win.

"That's what I believe, as much as I believe in love, love between families, between friends and soul mates, and it's that love that's going to help me fight today."

Within seconds everyone was applauding Sora's speech.

"I think you've just won their vote for life," said Riku.

Just then Andrew came out of the house, wheeling a cart that had a large covered tray on it, "incredible," he said in a mildly sarcastic tone, "we've won and we haven't even left yet."

"You missed the speech," said Tess.

"I heard every word," said Andrew, "and I've been preparing something that'll definitely help," he took the tray off of the cart, revealing hundreds of bite-sized cupcakes that were colored a vivid green and brown, "these little tidbits have enough nutrients and energy supplements to keep an average human being fully active for three days, thought I'm not sure _exactly _how long the effects will last for you all, considering your different powers and abilities. So everyone come have a bite. Believe me, you won't be disappointed."

"Are you sure it's okay to eat those things?" Ukyo asked as she looked at the strange cupcakes.

"We've eaten them before," said Laura as she and the others from the BPRD walked over and each tool one of the cupcakes and ate them, "they're delicious, believe it."

"Andrew's recipes may be a little odd," said Harry as he and the other wizards also took their share of the cupcakes, "well, more than a little odd, but he's never made anything harmful."

"Meaning that we've never suffered food poisoning from him," said Neville as he and the wizards ate their cupcakes.

"If they wiling to eat those things," said Jacob as he walked over to the cart, "then so am I," he picked one up, sniffed it experimentally and then ate it. After swallowing he smiled in a surprised yet delighted manner, "hey, it is good!" he then took four and handed them to Seth, Leah, Quill and Embry, whom ate them happily.

This caused the rest of our heroes to form a line and each eat one of the cupcakes. They were all pleasantly satisfied. Even the vampires, whom required no human food, ate them just to experience a new flavor, and found the taste to their liking.

"These are good," said Sora, "and I feel like I could fight all day and night."

All the heroes also found themselves invigorated by the cupcakes.

"I made them so that they taste good and are good for you," said Andrew, "now that everyone's ready to go," he checked his watch, "let's light this candle."

He walked over where Ansem and Young Watari had set up a secondary computer system, one that would project a new, larger portal to the realm of darkness. A few yards away from an area that had been marked where the new portal would open, was a missile launching platform that Andrew had brought in from his world. The nuclear material from the neutron bomb had been installed inside the missile, which was primed and ready to fire on command.

"Another two minutes to go," said Andrew as he checked the missile launcher. He looked at Sora, "I'd be a poor weapons expert if I didn't ask you if you wanted to call it off. Once we start, there's no going back, so if you want to abort this part of the mission and think of something else, now's the time."

"We told Reddik and the others that we'd start off with an EMP," said Sora, he then looked at Harry, "and I always keep my promises."

"Well said," said Andrew. He looked at his watch, "one minute to go."

* * *

><p><strong>...The Streets of The World That Never Was...<strong>

"One minute to go," said Nikolai, "all of our technology has been shielded by magic."

"Everyone's in place," said Rakel, "if anyone has second thoughts, now's the time."

"Are you kidding?" Katarina asked, "we can't stop now, not when we're so close to finishing the story."

"What story?" Pete asked.

"This story, silly," said Katarina, "Our story." She then pulled out a data pad from her pocket, "I've been writing down everything that's happened to us since we got here on this dark world, it's kept me busy while my mom and Nikolai's mom was arranging the wedding," she paused in thought, "I suppose I should ask Sora and his friends for their side of the story."

"Why?" Nikolai asked.

"So those who come after us will know the truth of what happened here," said Katarina.

"That's probably the smartest thing you've ever said and done," said Nikolai.

"And that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," said Katarina, "but I still hate you."

"The feeling's mutual," said Nikolai. Just then came the sound of a bell ringing, "it's time."

* * *

><p><strong>...The Old Mansion...Twilight Town...<strong>

"It's time!" said Andrew.

"Open the portal!" said Ansem, while Young Watari punched the commands into the computer. The machine shot a beam of light into the target area and the portal formed.

"Firing the missile!" shouted Andrew as he pressed a large red button on a remote. The missile launcher shot its payload into the portal, "it will now climb to an altitude of 200 kilometers and detonate," he said as he looked at his watch, "in thirty seconds."

* * *

><p>"The portal's open," said Rakel, "and the missile is up and climbing."<p>

"Time to detonation, thirty seconds," said Nikolai.

"Signal our forces to shield their eyes!" said Reddik. He and the other Hakonians across the dark city donned protective goggles with polarized lenses.

"Here goes nuthin'," said Pete as he donned his goggles.

* * *

><p><strong>...New Hollow Bastion...<strong>

"Now we can begin," said Gideon as he opened the Necronomicon to the desired page.

"Wait!" said The Negotiator as he pointed out over the edge of the platform, "what is that?"

"What is what?" Gideon asked angrily as he snapped the book shut, "what's so important to stop now just when we're finally ready!"

"I do believe that's a missile," said Xorat, "but I could be wrong."

Gideon, Maleficent, The Negotiator, Xorat and Kiraxi, the assembled demon helpers and the seven princesses looked and saw the missile climbing rapidly into the atmosphere.

"That is a missile," said Gideon as he took out a pair of binoculars and looked at the missile, "a tactical nuke! but, it's not coming towards us."

"What is this nonsense?" Maleficent asked, "is this an act of desperation from Sora and his fellow fools? They will be disappointed, for my dark magic can deflect any conventional attack."

"It doesn't look like we're the target," said Kiraxi.

Indeed, the missile kept climbing up and up.

"Wait, I think I know what the brats are doing!" said Gideon as he put two and two together. He then shouted to everyone on the platform, "cover your eyes! Now!" he then shielded his eyes with his left forearm.

"What's happening?" Miley asked.

"Don't ask me how they did it," said Nessie, "but Sora and the others got their hands on a tactical nuke! Now close your eyes if you still want to see afterwards!" With that she, Lyra and Pan, Violet, Sara, Miley, Victoire and Usagi all closed their eyes, and just in time.

The missile reached the target altitude and detonated, producing a blinding flash that destroyed the sight of anyone whom happened to be looking up, namely a few demons whom happened to be outside the castle, while the myriads of Heartless and Nobodies were briefly stunned by the sudden protrusion of light into the dark realm.

The blast of the nuclear fireball faded, allowing everyone to uncover their eyes. But then the baddies had a new problem to deal with.

"My PDA is offline," said The Negotiator as he tried to activate his device. He then took off the back and examined the battery, "it's power supply has been nullified!"

Just then a demon ran up the stairs from below, "great one!" it said to Maleficent, "all the artificial illuminators in the castle won't work! None of the electrical appliances are working either! There's no power anywhere!"

Another demon ran up the stairs and spoke to Maleficent, "all communication systems are offline!"

Another demon ran up, "all power is off in the clone labs!"

"The brats used that missile as an electromagnetic pulse weapon," said The Negotiator. He then addressed the demon messengers, "get the backup generators running, starting with the clone labs. My replacements and the new versions of The League of Evil Exes are still in their tanks. We must save them at all cost."

"We have a bigger problem than that," said Gideon as he looked at the ritual machine, "the machine requires a mixture of electricity and dark magic. Without one or the other, it won't work. Without power, we're not doing anything!"

"And you did not take the threat of an electromagnetic pulse into accord?" an outraged Maleficent asked.

"I never thought the brats would dare to use nukes of any kind," said Gideon.

"Imbecile!" snapped Maleficent.

Just then came the sound of an explosion down in the dark city. Gideon, Maleficent, The Negotiator, Xorat and Kiraxi looked out and saw that one of the buildings was on fire.

"Now what?" Gideon asked.

* * *

><p>"That ought to stir up the ire of the enemy," said Rakel as they watched smoke rise from the exploded building.<p>

"So will this," said Katarina. Just then came the sound of several more explosions originating throughout the city streets. The explosions were magical in nature, each taking out scores of Heartless and Nobodies.

"We've made our move," said Reddik as more and more explosions went off, "your turn, Sora."

* * *

><p>"Go!" shouted Sora. The first group, consisting of Edward, Bella, Lance, Nate, David, Denise and Ranma, jumped into the portal. They emerged on the other side and immediately found themselves surrounded by Heartless and Nobodies.<p>

"Not this time!" said Lance as he summoned Emerald Mountain and knocked the offending dark creatures back with a concentrated earthquake, while Nate and Denise destroyed a large amount of them with a mix of fire and water attacks from Sapphire Torrent and Ruby Inferno, followed by a tornado from Topaz Skye. Edward and Bella then finished off the remaining Heartless and Nobodies in the area.

"We're off to a good start," said Edward as he pulled out his cell phone, which had been modified to send and receive calls across the world barrier. He then sent a text to Sora's phone.

* * *

><p>"They're through and safe!" said Sora as he read the message from Edward, "next group, go!"<p>

Emmet, Rosalie, Laura Hurst, Lilly, Oliver, Jake, Jackson, Robbie Ray and half of the BPRD operatives walked into the portal. They emerged on the other side and joined up with the first group, just as fresh Heartless and Nobodies arrived in the area.

"Bastards!' snapped Laura as she sent out a massive psychic blast that vaporized the first wave of Neo Shadows and Samurai, while Lilly and Oliver blasted apart a squad of Creepers.

"These things are a bigger pests than a stinkbug swarm on the 4th of July!" said Robbie Ray as he and the BPRD agents blasted the dark creatures with their chain guns, while Jackson fired off a barrage of rockets that incinerated several Dancers and Lance Soldiers, while Emmet and Rosalie finished off the rest.

The Bureau agents then began setting up the makings of a defensive perimeter, consisting of automatic pulse laser platforms and machineguns, while Rosalie sent a text through the portal.

* * *

><p>Sora received the text telling him that the second group was through and safe, "Third and fourth group, go!" he shouted.<p>

Alice, Jasper, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Will and Kirjava, Tuxedo Kamen and the Sailor Senshi, jumped through the portal with the rest of the BPRD agents, with Max leading them, followed by Mr. Incredible and his fellow supers, along with Harry and the other wizards. After they had gone through, the next signal came.

"Your turn, Jacob," said Sora.

"Right," said Jacob. With that he and his pack went in.

"It's almost our turn," said Sora. He, Riku, Tess, Donald, Goofy, Roxas and Naminé. He then looked at his friends, "guys, just so you'll know, it's been great."

"Save it for when we rescue Kairi and the princesses," said Riku.

"And Aiden," said Donald.

"We'll save everyone," said Roxas, while Naminé nodded in agreement.

"And when we get to Gideon and Maleficent," said Tess as she pulled out her razor, "I figured I'd give them both a haircut, real close to the shoulder, if you know what I mean."

"Oh we know," said Riku, "and here's a promise; as soon as we've won this battle, we're going to throw that dam razor of yours away."

"No chance," said Tess as she pocketed her razor.

Just then Sora received the awaited text, "it's time, let's go!" He then looked at Ansem and Young Watari, "we'll let you know when it's time to open the portal again."

"We'll be ready," said Young Watari.

"Good luck, Sora," said Ansem, "may the light shine on you and your friends."

"Thanks," said Sora.

"We'll see you on the other side!" said Riku. With that they jumped through the portal and it closed up after them.

"I fear that my wishing them luck won't be enough," said Ansem, "they'll need far more than what they have."

"Which is exactly why I'm going to contact L right now," said Young Watari, "he has to be informed of what Xehanort told us, that Light Yagami is being manipulated. If anyone can figure out how to stop Chernabog, it's L."

"For all our sakes," said Ansem, "I hope so."

Just then King Mickey ran into the area, "sorry I'm late!" he said, "I had something I had to take care of," he looked around and saw that everyone was gone, "oh darn it!"

"You missed quite the sendoff, my friend," said Ansem.

"I sure did," said The King, "can you open the portal again? There's something I have to tell Sora and the others."

Young Watari looked at the computer controlling the portal generator, "I'm afraid it'll be some time before I can open the portal again. In the rush to set up the new system, I neglected to properly set up the power supply. It'll be hours before the portal generator is properly recharged."

"Well that's a letdown," said King Mickey, "what about the smaller portal in the mansion basement?"

"The original portal?" Young Watari asked, "yes, that could work, but it will take some time. I had that computer system severely encrypted in the event the enemy tried to access it. I'm the only one who knows the decryption algorithm, and the decryption process will take at least half an hour."

"At least?" King Mickey asked as they hurried back to the house.

"The decryption program changes on its own," said Young Watari, "another safeguard I installed. I know how to get around it, I just need time."

"I fear that time is something Sora and his friends don't have much of," said Ansem.

* * *

><p>"Everyone's here, Sora," said Edward.<p>

"We're all ready to move forward," said Will.

"Then let's head for Memory Skyscraper," said Sora, "hopefully by then Reddik and his people should be there."

* * *

><p>"Our scouts report that Sora and his forces have arrived and are making their way to Memory Skyscraper," said Falkon.<p>

"Then we'd better get going too," said Reddik, "let's get this over with so we all can move on with our lives." With that he, Rakel, Katarina, Nikolai, Falkon, Tylek and Hektor made their way through the dark streets as more buildings exploded.

* * *

><p>"I demand to know what is happening in my domain!" spat Maleficent as she witnessed more buildings of the dark city exploding.<p>

"We simply don't know yet, great one," said one of the demons.

Just then another demon ran up the stairs, "great one ! The explosions are caused by The Hakonians!"

"What?" exclaimed Maleficent, "The Hakonians! Those rejects?"

"I thought you had them eliminated," said Gideon, "or at least put in cold storage."

"Who are the Hakonians?" Violet asked as she continued to carefully cut at the clamp.

"Sora told me about them," said Lyra, "they worked for Maleficent for a while, he and the others had a lot of battles with them."

"Well, from all the bombs going off down below," said Sara, "it looks like they're resigning their employment with Maleficent."

"Those impudent, ungrateful fools!" snapped Maleficent, "they dare betray me! I took them in when they had nowhere else to go! I gave them a purpose, a place in the darkness, and now they dare side against me at my moment of triumph!"

"Maybe they would have been less inclined to rebel if you hadn't tossed them aside," said The Negotiator.

"It was you who convinced me to do it!" snapped Maleficent, "no, it was one of your predecessors, but that is irrelevant!" She glared at the demon messengers, "I want those despicable Hakonians exterminated! Every man, woman and child, I want them all put to the sword and their hearts ripped out and burned!"

"We obey!" said the demon messengers. They all ran down the stairs to carry out Malefient's orders.

"Shall we go down and deliver retribution to the ingrate Hakonians, great one?" Xorat asked.

"Just say the word, oh mistress of all evil," said Kiraxi, "and we'll destroy them all."

At that Maleficent paused in thought, "no, I doubt that you would be needed. The demons will dispatch the infidels without too much trouble," she looked at Gideon, "where as you are in much deeper trouble."

"I told you I didn't think that they would use a nuclear device," said Gideon.

"You should have!" snapped Maleficent, "but that is irrelevant. All that matters now is completing the ritual."

"That'll take some time," said Gideon, "I need to restore the electrical components of the machine."

"Then do so!" said Maleficent, "and be quick about it!"

Just then another demon messenger ran up the stairs, "great one! Terrible news!"

"What now?" Maleficent asked as she placed her forehead in her hand, feeling a headache coming on, "what new catastrophe has befallen?"

"They Keyblade Wielders," said the demon, "they and dozens of heroes have invaded the dark city!"

At that Maleficent looked up and glared death at the demon messenger, "the fools dare to come here!"

"I told you they'd come!" shouted Nessie, "you're in for a world of hurt, Maleficent, you and Gideon!'

"Silence!" snapped Maleficent as she slammed the end of her staff against her floor, causing it to crackle with dark lightning, "I want them destroyed! Kill them all! Kill! KILL!"

"Yes, great one!" said the demon messenger. He then ran down the stairs.

"Should we go down and fight, great one?" Xorat asked.

"We've defeated the brats before," said Kiraxi, "give the order and we will destroy them once and for all!"

"No," said Maleficent, "the demons, Heartless and Nobodies will destroy them. They will not reach this castle. They will not take one step further into my domain!"

"You sound like you need a break," said Gideon, "I'm serious, you're sounding a little offbeat."

"The only words I want to hear from you," said Maleficent in a menacing tone, "is that the machine is working again and that we can proceed with the ritual. Now get to it!"

"Whatever you say," said Gideon. He then went downstairs to get a portable power generator, "I'll get the ritual done," he said to himself, "but you won't be there to see it. As soon as the door to limbo is opened, that's when I'll make my move and take back everything you've stolen from me. Just you wait, Maleficent. No one double-crosses Gideon 'G-Man' Graves and gets away with it, no one!"

"Did you say something?" Maleficent asked.

"Just going over the restart procedure," said Gideon, "I'll have the machine up and running in no time."

"Sora and the others are coming," said Usagi, "I told you everything's going to be alright!"

"In the meantime," said Violet, "I'll focus on getting us out of here."

"I agree," said Victoire, "I'm not the kind to just wait around for the heroes to show up. I'm no damsel in distress."

"Me neither," said Sara.

"Just get us lose," said Miley, "and I'll tear the enemy a new one faster than a raccoon after an apple."

* * *

><p><strong>...Memory Skyscraper...The World That Never Was...<strong>

"We're here," said Sora as he and the others reached he area where Roxas and Riku dueld what seemed a lifetime ago, "now all we have to do is wait for Reddik and his group."

They didn't have to wait for long. From a side alley emerged Reddik, Rakel, Nikolai, Katarina, Pete and the other Hakonian leaders. The two groups faced each other across the plaza, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"What are they waiting for?" Rakel asked, "we don't have time to play mind games, there's a war on!" as if to emphasize the point, there came the sudden report of another exploding building from several blocks away.

"Well, we haven't exactly made a positive impression on them," said Nikolai.

"Oh for crying out loud," said Katarina in an exasperated tone, "everyone's being just plain silly!" she then crossed the plaza towards Sora and the others.

"Isn't that the one who's supposed to be dumb but isn't as dumb as she makes herself look?" Tess asked.

"That's her alright," said Ranma. He then looked at Akane and the Neon Knights, "be careful with that girl, she's stronger than she looks."

"And how would you know that, Ranma darling?" Kodatchi asked in a teasing manner, "have you been a bad boy with this girl, hmmm?"

"Did you molest this girl, Ranma?" Akane asked menacingly as she hefted her kanabo.

"Are you kidding?" Ranma asked, "she tied to kill me, like most of my friends have on more than one occasion."

"What are you talking about?" one of the wizards asked.

"I'll make it short," said Ranma. He then looked at Akane and the Neon Knights, "which of you have tried to kill me at least once?"

Reluctantly, the following raised their hand; Akane, Ryoga, Shampoo, Mousse, Tatewaki and Kodatchi. Ukyo, Adam, Ian, Kyle, Jean-Louise, Felicia and Julia kept their hands down.

"Nice friends you have," one of the supers said.

"Uh, hello!" said Katarina, "what's keeping you!"

"We're coming already," said Ranma. He then looked at Sora and the others, "if none of you are going to take the initiative, then I will." He then walked forward and stood face to face with Katarina in front of the steps of the skyscraper, "hey," he said.

"Oh, I remember you," said a smiling Katarina, "we fought on Metamore. How've you been?"

"I've been better," said Ranma, "my girlfriend has been kidnapped, but my friends and I are here to save her and the other princesses of heart."

"Oh, I hope she's okay," said Katarina, "your girlfriend and her friends, need any help?"

"That's what we're all here for," said Sora as he, Riku and Tess walked forward and met them in the middle of the plaza.

"If that dingbat Katarina is willing to take the plunge," said Nikolai, "then so am I," with that he walked towards the skyscraper steps.

"No way we're being left behind," said Rakel. With that she and Reddik walked towards the group in the middle.

"Don't forget about me," said Pete as he joined them in the middle.

"This isn't exactly how I pictured our next meeting, Sora," said Reddik, "but then again, things have been getting rather crazy for all of us," another building exploded a few blocks away.

"Sounds like your people are busy," said Riku.

"They're doing their part," said Rakel, "as have your people been doing."

"My compliments to the man who created that tactical nuke," said Nikolai, "the enemy's electronics have been completely disrupted."

"But for how long?" Riku asked, "Gideon and Maleficent won't let this go for long."

"Then we'd better hurry," said Reddik. He then showed our heroes a holographic map of the dark city, with a blue line running through the streets, buildings and into a hidden passageway that lead deep inside New Hollow Bastion, "this route will bypass any defenses that Maleficent and Gideon will have thrown up. All we need to do is wait for a few more of our people to get here so we can coordinate the larger battle."

"We still need to decide who goes with us," said Riku, "We know you four and me, Sora and Tess will go, but we'll need more."

"We're coming, no matter what!" said Donald.

"Just try and stop us," said Goofy.

"As if I could convince you guys to stay," said Sora.

"Count me in too," said Pete.

"You, help us?" Riku asked.

"I seem to remember that you used to work for Maleficent," said Tess.

"I quit that job," said Pete, "I got my wife, kids and dog away from Maleficent, so there's nothing she can do to make me obey her. Now I'm gonna pay her back for all the horrible things she made me do."

"Why should we trust you?" Donald asked, "you've been nothing but a pain on our tail feathers since the beginning."

"Well not any more," said Pete confidently, "ol' Pete's a new man. I'm ready to walk the straight and narrow."

"What about all the times you pretended to be nice but weren't?" Goody asked.

"That's not me anymore," said Pete, "come on, guys, I'm trying to make good for all my mistakes."

"You're willing to trust us, Sora," said Rakel, "trust Pete, just as I've trusted him."

"Well," said Sora, "I guess if you guys trust him, then I trust him."

"Are you sure?" Tess asked.

"Yes," said Sora, "and we need all the help we can get," he held out his hand and Pete shook it.

"I think we've witnessed the beginning of the peace process between our two groups," said Reddik as he stepped forward and shook hands with Sora.

"I think you're right," said Sora, "now let's plan how we're going to end this whole mess."

* * *

><p><strong>...Somewhere In Time and Space...<strong>

"We're almost there!" said The Doctor as he, Amy, Rory and Aiden held onto the control panel as The TARDIS hurtled through time, "another thousand years or so."

"And how long does it take to traverse a thousand years?" Aiden asked, "and how do we know that we'll get back to Traverse Town? For all we know we'll end up at the end of time or something."

"Been there already," said The Doctor, "not a pleasant place, the end of the universe, wouldn't recommend it."

"How bad could it be, doctor?" Amy asked.

"Let's just say I ran into a very old and particularly nasty enemy there," said The Doctor, "which lead to one of the worst years of my life, and I've had plenty of bad years, so, we won't be going to the end of the universe, not this time."

"Makes you wonder what other bad memories he has," said Rory.

"Worse than you can think," said The Doctor, "But that's not the point here!"

"Then what is?" Aiden asked. He then shook his head in frustration, "you know, I don't care about that. All I want is to get back to my friends and end this mess with the enemy."

Just then the whole control room shook violently, as if something bumped into The TARDIS, or rather, The TARDIS slammed into something. Regardless of the cause, the shaking upset everyone's balance and sent Amy, Rory and The Doctor to the floor.

"What was that?" Aiden asked as everyone got back up.

"I'll tell you in a second," said The Doctor as he went to the main computer screen and tapped a few buttons, "oh, another temporal hiccup, a sort of pothole in the time vortex."

"What's that supposed to be?" Rory asked.

"Could be anything," said The Doctor, "and could be caused by anything," he looked at the data, "oh, it looks as if we've been bumped through time by some unknown force," he grinned, "exciting, isn't it?"

"You mean we crashed into something?" Amy asked.

"More like a nudge in time," said The Doctor. Just then the central column stopped moving and the engine stopped groaning and wheezing, "we're here."

"We are?" Aiden asked cautiously, "last time we tried to get back to my friends, we wounded up destroying an empire."

"Trust me, Aiden Mackenzie," said The Doctor in a reassuring manner as he confidently touched Aiden's shoulder, "I promised I'd get you back to your friends," he walked to the door, "and I intend to deliver," he opened the door and stuck his head out to take a look. He then quickly turned around, "by the way, Aiden, did you leave your friends in the middle of an insidiously dark city racked with explosions on a world with no stars?"

"What are you talking about?" Aiden asked. He then stuck his head out the door and saw that indeed The TARDIS had arrived on the world exactly described by The Doctor, "I can't believe this," he said. He then looked at The Doctor, "out of one crisis and into another."

"Just were are we, Doctor?" Rory asked, "wait, have we been diverted by River Song again?"

"I didn't see any strange messages from her," said Amy, "usually she'd leave a message in history, calling The Doctor 'sweety' or the like." She looked at The Doctor, "are you sure that she's your wife?"

"I sometimes wonder that myself," said The Doctor as he looked at the main display screen, looking at the data on the outside environment, "wait, this isn't right, there are no stars anywhere at all, it's all black, except for…" the view screen then showed a large moon shaped like a heard that was partially broken.

"Kingdom Hearts," said Aiden, "Sora and the others told me that they broke the heart moon that Xemnes created," he then looked shocked and afraid, "I know where we are, and it's the last place we want to be. The World That Never Was," he then pressed a button that changed the view on the screen, revealing the dark castle, "And that's New Hollow Bastion. We're right in the realm of darkness! We have to get out of here now!"

"But we just got here," said Amy.

"I don't care about that," said Aiden, "we're right smack in the middle of Maleficent's back yard." just then another round of explosions could be heard through the door, "and it looks like someone's declared war on Maleficent," he stuck his head out, "what's going on here?"

"It's war alright," said The Doctor as he looked at the data on the screen, "the scanners are picking up a lot of different life forms out there; humans, psychic humans, wizards, superhumans, shape shifters…"

"Shape shifters?" Aiden asked, "wolf shape shifters?"

"They definitely have lupine DNA," said The Doctor.

"Jacob and his pack," said a grinning Aiden, "Sora and the others, they've invaded the realm of darkness to get Kairi back. Come on!" he summoned his Keyblade, "we've got to find them!" with that he ran out of the door.

"Where do you bloody think you're going!" Amy shouted after him as she, Rory and The Doctor hurried after Aiden.

"First he wants to leave," said Rory, "now he wants to stay."

They emerged from the door, only to see that Aiden had barely made it a few steps outside The TARDIS. He was standing there, with his hands raised, surrounded by a dozen Hakonians armed with pulse rifles. A few of the Hakonians then aimed their weapons at The Doctor, Amy and Rory, "don't move or you're dead!"

"Now this seems familiar," said The Doctor as he, Amy and Rory raised their hands in surrender.

"Are you sure we're not back on Hakonian Prime, Doctor?" Amy asked.

"Doctor?" one of the Hakonians asked, "The Doctor? Last of the Time Lords and Destroyer of Worlds?"

"That's what Davros called me the last time I saw him," said The Doctor.

"We've been calling you that for a long time, Time Lord," said another of the Hakonians as he pressed a selector button on his weapon, setting it to kill, "and now we're going to avenge our empire! Time to die, Doctor!"

"Wait!" said Rory, "you can't kill us! We surrendered?"

"We're in the middle of a war for our survival," said one of the Hakonians, "there's no time for prisoners. We've got to meet up with Reddik."

"Reddik?" Aiden asked, "he's back?"

"He's leading us in our fight against Maleficent, Gideon and all the darkness," said a fourth Hakonian, "him, Rakel, Nikolai and Katarina."

"They're all here?" Aiden asked, "take me to them. I'm sure they'll want to talk to me."

"You're the one who disfigured Reddik," said one of the Hakonians, "oh yeah, he'll want to talk to you alright."

"We don't have time!" snapped another Hakonian, "we have to get to the rendezvous point. The Keyblade Wielders and their allies should be there by now."

"Sora and the others are here?" Aiden asked, "you've got to get me there! They need me!"

"And they might need us," said Amy, "just what we can do to help, we'll figure that out as we go along."

"I wish I had your confidence in this," said Rory.

"Oh shut up and play along," said Amy.

"This stinks of a trap," said one of the Hakonians. "Besides, this is The Doctor we're talking about, the sworn enemy of all Hakonians. He destroyed our empire!"

"Actually, I only helped it on it's way to it's destruction," said The Doctor, "the real culprit was a rather nasty character named Yurik, who…"

"Screw this!" shouted one of the Hakonians, "let's just kill them so we can get back on schedule!"

"No!" shouted Aiden, "you can't!" he then suddenly remembered something that Sora talked about from one of his adventures, specifically one to Port Royal, "Parle!"

"What?" one of the Hakonians asked, "what's Parle?"

"It means you have to let me talk to Reddik," said Aiden, "and that you can't harm me and my friends until I'm done talking to Reddik. If you have any sense of honor you will allow me and my companions this one simple request."

At that the squad of Hakonians looked slightly taken aback, but then one of them spoke, "we Hakonians may have been in the dark for far too long, but no one can saw that we don't have our own sense of honor. Very well, we'll take you to see Reddik, but if he doesn't want to talk to you, if he says to liquidate you, and your companions, then it's your own damn fault."

"Fair enough," said Aiden, "now take me to your leaders."

With that the Hakonians escorted him, Amy, Rory and The Doctor through the burning streets of the dark city.

"Just what have you gotten us into now?" Rory asked Aiden.

"I don't know," said Aiden, "I'm hoping that Sora and the others will be there, but mostly I'm just making it up as I go along," he looked at The Doctor, "it's worked for you for…how old are you anyway?"

"Over 900," said the Doctor, "and I hope to live another 900, at least, you never know."

"I don't know about living 1,800 years," said Aiden, "but if I can get myself and all of my friends out of this mess in one piece, then I'd be satisfied."

* * *

><p>"Great one!" said a demon messenger to Maleficent, "the invaders have joined with the Hakonians in Memory Skyscraper!"<p>

"They dare join forces!" spat Maleficent, "they shall all suffer for their transgressions!"

"You want my advice?" Gideon asked as he continued to work on the machine, "Just pour every demon, Heartless and Nobody you've got into Memory Skyscraper before they can go anywhere else and you've got them by the balls."

"Why are you still speaking?" Maleficent, "get back to work!"

"I've been working!" said Gideon.

"Then keep working!" said Maleficent. She then looked at the demon messenger, "order every available demon, Heartless and Nobody to Memory Skyscraper. Destroy the invaders!"

* * *

><p>"So it'll be me Riku, Tess, Donald, Goofy, Roxas, Naminé, Teddy Lupin, Will and Kirjava, Jacob and Ranma," said Sora, "with Reddik, Rakel, Nikolai, Katarina, Pete and four more of your fellow Hakonians. Everyone else will keep fighting on the outside to distract Maleficent and Gideon."<p>

"We'll put up a very convincing fight, Sora," said Max Kildare.

"And we've got everything we need to have the enemy fully occupied," said Harry.

"Question," said Katarina, "what happens if Maleficent and Gideon find out that we're on the inside and they go after us?"

"That's why we've got Edward's number on speed dial," said Riku, "in the event that we're discovered."

"That's when we'll go all out and blast our way through to you," said Laura Hurst. "We Ramblers have more than a few tricks up our sleeves."

"As do we wizards," said Neville.

Just then a squad of lesser Hakonains ran into the area, "Reddik!" the squad leader shouted, "we've captured some prisoners."

"Prisoners?" Rakel asked.

"We don't have time for prisoners," said Rakel, "even if they're working for Gideon and Maleficent."

"They're not working for the enemy," said the squad leader.

Another squad then brought in Aiden, The Doctor, Amy and Rory. "Sora!" Aiden shouted.

"Aiden!" shouted Sora.

"Aiden Mackenzie," said Reddik in a tone that was mixed with surprise, anger and curiosity, "if circumstances were different, I'd skin you alive and turn your flesh into a reusable piñata."

"Nice to see you too, Reddik," said Aiden, "now mind telling your goons to let me and my friends go? Or are you going to torture me for the heck of it?"

"I would make you suffer for what you and your fellow alchemists did to me," said Reddik, "but we don't have time for that."

"Funny thing about time," said the Doctor, "one minute you've got all there is in the universe, the next you've got almost none at all. It's all part of Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey."

"That's one of Kairi's favorite things to say," said Sora.

"Oh, so you're Aiden's friends," said Amy, "nice to finally meet you."

"What exactly have you told them about us, Aiden?" tess asked.

"Only that you're the best friends I can have," said Aiden.

"Wait a nanosecond," said Nikolai as he walked up to The Doctor and looked him over, "those clothes," he then looked at Amy and Rory, "and those two humans," he then focused on The Doctor again, "that bowtie!"

"What's wrong with my bowtie?" The Doctor asked as he straightened his bowtie, "bowties are cool."

"Not in this realm," said Katarina.

"That's beside the point," said Nikolai. He then looked at the lesser Hakonain squad, "did they have a blue box with them, one marked 'Policebox?'"

"Yes," said the squad leader, "another squad is brining it here."

"There's no doubt about it," said Nikolai as he glared at The Doctor with hateful eyes, "this is The Doctor, last of the Time Lords and destroyer of The Hakonian empire!"

"The Doctor!" shouted Reddik, Rakel and Katarina in rage. Reddik and Rakel charged up killing spells, while Katarina assumed a fighting stance that would deliver a killing blow.

"What are you doing!" Sora asked.

"Stay out of this, Sora!" said Reddik, "this is old, unfinished business that needs taking care of."

"It's his fault!" snapped Rakel, "he's the one who destroyed our empire and set us on the path of despair that lead us to being enslaved by Maleficent!" she then glared at Amy and Rory, "and they're equally guilty as well!"

"We didn't do anything, you blooming idiot!" said Amy, "well, we did, but we didn't destroy your empire."

"It was one of your own," said Rory, "a madman working for Chernabog."

"Chernabog?" Sora asked, "you know about Chernabog?"

"You know about Chernabog, Sora?" Nikolai asked.

"It's a long story," said Sora.

"Regardless," said Reddik, "The Doctor is responsible for what happened to our race. He has to be held accountable."

"I won't argue on that," said The Doctor as he calmly stepped forward with his hands held out, "I did take part in the downfall of you empire. I helped complete the computer virus that resulted in the destruction of the Supreme Computer Core that lead to the end of your empire."

"He admits it!" said Katarina, "let's kill him and get it over with!" at that all the Hakonians in the area shouted in agreement.

"NO!" said Amy, "you can't kill the Doctor, he helped to save your ancestors."

"A lie!" snapped Rakel, "our ancestors escaped the crumbling empire when the Supreme Computer Core was destroyed. Without the Computer Core, we couldn't use T-Mat or the Subspace Network. We had to use primative starships to flee into the wilderness of space, eking out a feeble existence with the few remaining resources available to us, while our numbers slowly dwindled to the few that were left when we arrived in the realm of darkness."

"We helped your people escape," said Rory, "chances are you wouldn't be alive if we hadn't helped."

"One of the nobles, a real lunatic named Dunkan tried to set off a nuke near one of the starship ports," said Aiden, "we delayed him long enough for a lot of your people to make it into space."

"Lies, all lies!" snapped Katarina.

"Let me ask you something," said The Doctor, "who told you that I'm the monster that you believe I am to be?"

"Our ancestors," said Reddik, "my family, Rakel's family, and the families of the other nobles."

"The nobles whom held us common Hakonians in bondage," said Falkon, "while those outside the gentry have been told a slightly different story."

"Our ancestors, the commoners," said Tylek, "fought to free the entire empire from the grip of the irresponsible idiots whom populate the nobles. We 'drafted' The Doctor and his companions into helping us, and they did help us to escape the falling empire."

"Your version of the past has been corrupted by time," said Nikolai, "stories passed down by so may individuals that the truth has become fiction. Our version of history is the truth."

"Have you all completely lost your minds?" Tess asked Reddik, Rakel, Nikolai and the other Hakonians, "we've got a battle to fight, princesses to rescue and villains to kill, and you're all so hung up on settling an ancient grudge."

"This is the oldest, most guilt ridden grudge in our race," said Reddik, "if we can't settle it now, it never will be settled."

"Then you are all a bunch of gits," said Harry, "getting upset over the past has never done anyone any good. What's done is done."

"Bad things happen and when they do, there's nothing that can be done to undo them," said Sora, "so just let it go. Hakuna Matata."

"What?" Rakel asked, "what the hell are you talking about?"

"It means no worries," said Aiden. He then grinned at Sora, "I pay attention to your stories, Sora."

"Shut up!" snapped Reddik, "just because you're Sora's friend doesn't mean that you're not safe from retribution."

"And I thought the ancient Hakonian nobles were irrational," said Rory.

"Any brilliant ideas, Doctor?" Amy asked.

"None right now," said The Doctor, he then looked at Sora, "but I've got a sneaky suspicion that someone else knows what to do, or rather, what to say."

All of a sudden Sora remembered the words that Grekor told him to say to Reddik, "_Klaatu Barada Nikto_!"

At that both Reddik and Rakel's eyes dilated and they clutched their heads as if they were hit by a sudden headache.

"What did you do to them?" Katarina demanded of Sora.

"All I did was say what Grekor told me to say," said Sora, "I didn't know it would hurt them."

"It's alright, Katarina," said Reddik as he and Rakel calmed down, their eyes returning to normal, "we're fine."

"We're more than fine," said Rakel, "I…we…we remember."

"Remember what?" Nikolai asked.

"The truth," said Reddik. He then smiled happily, "The Doctor was telling the truth; he did help save us from destruction."

"What!" exclaimed Nikolai, "that can't be! Our ancestors…"

"They lied," said Rake, "our ancestors, the majority of the nobles who survived the fall of the empire, they reasserted their control over the commoners when all the survivors had gathered together in space. They brainwashed the commoners into believing that it was The Doctor who destroyed the empire and that the nobles had saved the survivors. Since then the noble families have maintained the lie and their hold over the commoners."

"You're joking, right?" Katarina asked, "our ancestors couldn't have been liars, could they?"

"Every fiber in by mind tells me that this story is outright fiction," said Nikolai, "but my heart tells me differently, and after everything that's happened, I'm willing to trust my heart."

At that Katarina sighed, "you may be a jerk, but you're an honest jerk. If you believe it, then so do I."

"Then what does that mean for us?" Rory asked.

"It means that we owe you, your wife and The Doctor an ancient debt of gratitude," said Reddik. He then walked towards The Doctor and held out his hand, "on behalf of the Hakonian race, I offer my most sincere apologies for any mistreatment you and your companions have received. I also offer my most sincere thanks for what you did for our people those many years ago."

"Oh, it was no trouble," said The Doctor as he shook hands with Reddik, "glad to help."

Just then another building exploded.

"Makes me wish I had stayed in bed before we got to Traverse Town," said Aiden.

"Glad to have you back," said Riku.

"Glad to be back," said Aiden, "So what's the plan?"

"We sneak into the castle," said Tess, "save the princesses, find Kairi and Aqua, get out and blow up the castle, hopefully killing Gideon and Maleficent at the same time."

"If we don't get them then," said Sora, "we'll figure out something else."

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Aiden, "wait, Aqua? One of Ven's friends from the past who was stuck in the realm of darkness? What's she doing in this?"

"She was working with Ansem and Young Watari," said Rakel, "she talked with us before infiltrating New Hollow Bastion to rescue Kairi, but we haven't seen or heard from her since."

"Either they got away but can't get to us," said Riku, "or they're in serious trouble. Either way we're going to find them."

"One way or another this ends today," said Reddik, "so, are you with us, Aiden Mackenzie?"

"Hell yes I'm with you!" said Aiden, "I haven't traveled all over time and space just to burry my head in the sand when it's almost over," he pressed his wrists, "alright! Let's do this!"

"We've got a bit of a ways to go first," said Nikolai. He then showed Aiden the secret route inside the castle, "the four of us, along with Sora and a few he had chosen will infiltrate New Hollow Bastion, while the rest will remain outside and keep the enemy distracted." He then looked at The Doctor, "if it's not too much to ask, we would appreciate your assistance in any way you can offer."

"I may be able to pull a few clever tricks out of my hat," said The Doctor, "that is, if I still had my hat, I really liked that fez."

"What about us?" Amy asked, "you can't expect us to sit on the sidelines and do nothing."

"What can you do?" one of the Hakonians asked, "you're just a human."

"I'm a human who lived through a lot," said Amy as she stubbornly crossed her arms, "I've been to the past, present and future. I've seen alien worlds and people. I've seen giant space whales, weeping angels, Daleks and a whole lot of other things, and I got stuck inside the Pandorica for almost two thousand years."

"And I waited almost two thousand years for her," said Rory, "I may not have seen as much as my wife, and I've certainly not seen as much as The Doctor, but I'm willing to help. Who knows, you might just need a nurse."

"It's a group package," said the Doctor, "if you want me, you have to have my friends as well."

"We don't have time to argue," said Reddik, "you're in," he looked at Sora, "you and your friends know the plan, so let's get to it."

"We're ready," said Sora. He looked towards the dark castle, "just hold on, Kairi. We're coming for you and the others." With that he and the rest of the strike team set out for the passageway.

"They're be alright," said Alice, "I don't need to see the future to know that noting the enemy has is going to stop them."

Just then the combined forces of heroes and Hakonians found themselves surrounded by demons, Heartless and Nobodies.

"I wish we could say the same about us!" said Hayner as he and the others prepared for battle once more.

* * *

><p>"Backup generator installed," said Gideon as the machine began powering up again, "I'll need to check for any circuit damage, but other than that we're go for the ritual."<p>

"Then begin it!" snapped Maleficent, "I want to end this fiasco today!"

"Believe me," said Gideon, "it will end today," he then muttered to himself, "for you that is."

Just then another demon messenger ran up the stairs, "great one! The Hakonians, they've joined forces with The Keyblade Wielders and their allies!"

"Sounds like your bad day is getting worse, Maleficent!" shouted Nessie, "just you wait! Sora and the others will come and make you pay for what you did, you and Gideon!"

"Silence!" snapped Maleficent, "I will not lose control of the situation, not when I am so close to victory!" She looked at the demon messenger, "bring the most powerful of demons into the battle. I want those infidels expunged at once!"

Another demon messenger ran up the stairs, "great one! All six of The League of Evil Exes will be ready to emerge from the tanks in fifteen minutes."

"Wake them up as soon as they're ready," said Maleficent, "and set them against the brats." The demons saluted and ran down the stairs.

"Whatever we're going to do," said Miley, "we'd better do it now."

"I'm almost through," said Violet as she hurried to cut through the clamp, "almost there…"

But then Gideon walked up and grabbed the key from Violet's hand and threw it over the edge of the platform. He then waved his finger in an admonishing manner, "now, now, let's not do anything we would regret."

He then walked over to the main computer panel for the machine, "we're good to go. The ritual begins…" he held his finger above the button that would start the ritual, "…now!" he pressed the button.

**The end of chapter 10**.

Next time finds Sora and all of our heroes racing to stop the ritual and save the princesses of heart. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	11. Chapter 11: Race Against the Darkness

_I'd like to make a point before this chapter starts, it's part spoiler, but it has to be said because I know there are some people out there who would argue that I've made a mistake in writing this chapter. I've changed a few facts about the universe of Kingdom Hearts in order to make this chapter work, specifically the part where one specific location, which exists elsewhere in the KH verse, exists on the world that never was. I know that there'll be people saying that I've violated cannon, but please remember, THIS IS FANFICTION, and in fan fiction you can take creative license with the material you work with in order to make a better story. Thank you for your understanding._

Last time found our heroes and allies begining the final battle. The modified nuclear warhead unleased an EMP that disabled the enemy's electronics, which thankfully delayed Gideon's ritual to summon Kira and giving the captured princesses the time they needed to try to escape. In the streets of The World That Never Was, Sora and his assembled force of heroes met up with Reddik and the rebel Hakonians and got ready to sneek into New Hollow Bastion. At the same time, Aiden and his time traveling companions arrived on the dark world and were captured by the Hakonians. The reunion between Sora and his friend was cut short when the irate Hakonians sought to destroy The Doctor. Sora then remembered the words given to him to Grekor to say to Reddik. A sealed memory was unlocked and the truth of what happened on Hakonian Prime was revealed to the present day Hakonians, so all was forgiven. Now our heroes are ready to save the princesses and stop Giden and Maleficent once and for all. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 11: Race Against the Darkness**

"I'm almost through," said Violet as she hurried to cut through the clamp, "almost there…"

But then Gideon walked up and grabbed the key from Violet's hand and threw it over the edge of the platform. He then waved his finger in an admonishing manner, "now, now, let's not do anything we would regret."

He then walked over to the main computer panel for the machine, "we're good to go. The ritual begins…" he held his finger above the button that would start the ritual, "…now!" he pressed the button.

The machine glowed dark red, as well as the vertical tables holding the princesses. Nessie, Lyra, Violet, Sara, Miley, Victoire and Usagi all gasped in pain as their energies began to be drained from them and flowed into the machine.

"It'll take two hours for enough of their life force to be sucked out and processed in the machine," said Gideon to Maleficent, "then the machine will open the rift to Mu and free Lord Kira."

"Then all that remains is holding the fools at bay until Kira is freed," said Maleficent, "a simple enough effort."

"You bastards!" snapped Nessie against the pain, "just you wait! Sora and the others will come and rip you all apart!"

"If they ever get here," said Gideon.

* * *

><p><strong>...beneath the streets of The World That Never Was...<strong>

"Just how long is this path?" Tess asked as she, Sora, Riku, Aiden, Donald, Goofy, Roxas, Naminé, Jacob, Will, Teddy Lupin and Ranma, followed Reddik, Rakel, Nikolai, Katarina, Pete and several Hakonians, navigated a hidden passageway under the dark city.

"I know we're taking the long way," said Rakel, "but it's worth it. Besides, would you rather be outside against the endless hordes that Maleficent has summoned to fight us?"

"Good point," said Tess.

"Things really have changed while I was gone," said Aiden, "all these new heroes, and Jake now, what did you call him, a Technoman?"

"Tekkaman," said Riku, "it was a risky procedure, but it worked. Jake's now nearly unbeatable."

"Cool," said Aiden, "the one thing that worries me is that those Bureau guys gave Jackson a robot."

"It's a battle mech," said Sora, "and so far he hasn't hurt anyone on our side."

"Just so long as our people are behind him when he uses that mech," said Nikolai, "I'll be happy."

"Same with me," said Aiden, "and I'm also surprised that you Hakonians are so willing to work with us."

"It's for our mutual survival," said Nikolai, "nothing more, nothing less."

"That was before we learned the truth of who we are," said Katarina, "now that we know what really happened to the empire, things will get better for us."

"How so?" Rakel asked, "sure, eons of lies have been forced into the light of truth, but how will that affect our future?"

"Well," said Katarina, "we don't have this huge crushing lie weighing on our lives anymore. Now we can be good guys."

"I'm afraid that it won't be that simple," said Nikolai, "we've been in the dark for so long, it will take more than the truth to walk into the light."

"It might be easier than you think," said Riku, "all you have to is take one step after another."

"We'll worry about that after we've finished this mess," said Reddik, "let's go over the plan one more time."

"We've been over it plenty of times," said Jacob.

"Some of us weren't there when we made the plan," said Teddy Lupin.

"Thanks," said Aiden.

"Be careful with that one, Keyblade Alchemist," said Nikolai, "he's half werewolf."

"How'd you know that?" Teddy asked.

"One learns how to recognize different forms of life," said Nikolai, "especially when you have magically enhanced sight."

"You're half werewolf?" Aiden asked Teddy.

"He's okay," said Jacob, "me and the pack have accepted him. And the vampires are okay with him too."

At that Aiden was slightly taken aback, but then he spoke, "if Bella and the others are okay with him, then so am I," he held out his hand to Teddy, "I'm Aiden."

"Teddy," said the wizard as he shook Aiden's hand.

"Now that we're all acquainted with each other," said Will, "can we get moving?"

"Just one more thing," said Aiden. He looked at Pete, "why are _you _helping us? What's your stake in all of this?"

"Me? I'm doin' this to keep my wife and kids safe," said Pete, "that's all."

"But you used to be so loyal to Maleficent," said Aiden, "exactly what made you change your mind?"

"I don't know," said Pete, "I'm no hero, and I ain't no goody two shoes either. I'm big and bad to the bone, but that don't mean I can't be nice now and then."

"Aw, you're just a big softy at heart," said Goofy.

"I am not!" said Pete in an outraged tone as he stubbornly crossed his arms, "I'm as tough as they come! I chew iron and spit nails for breakfast, and I eat steel for lunch and dinner! I ain't no softy!"

"Oh yes you are, fluffy," said Katarina as she clutched his arm lovingly.

At that Donald and Goofy began giggling uncontrollably, "fluffy!" laughed Donald, "that's horrible!" but he couldn't stop laughing. Soon Sora, Riku and the others were laughing, including Reddik and the other Hakonians.

"Shut up!" said Pete, "it ain't funny!"

"I know!" said Rakel.

But then our heroes and allies calmed down enough for them to regain their composure. "Right," said Reddik, "we've wasted enough time. Let's get going again."

"So what is the plan?" Aiden asked.

"We get inside the castle without the enemy detecting us," said Rakel, "that EMP blast will have knocked out the castle's internal sensors."

"I didn't notice any internal sensors when we were there last," said Sora.

"Neither did I," said Roxas, "and I lived in that castle for almost a year."

"That's because the sensors are _in _the walls," said Rakel, "I should know, I've studied the castle when I wasn't running errands for Maleficent. The sensors use magic, but have electrical components as well, and are vulnerable to an electromagnetic pulse."

"But how long will it be before they get their electricity back?" Jacob asked.

"We don't know," said Nikolai.

"Which is why we should hurry," said Riku.

"Good point," said Reddik, "run!" with that they all ran through the passageway, with Pete lumbering at the rear.

"I just know the wife's gonna make me go on a crash diet when this is over," said Pete as he struggled to keep up with the others.

"Just relax, fluffy," said Katarina as she slowed down enough to run aside Pete, "Leave everything to me!" without warning she grabbed Pete and carried him as effortlessly as if he were a kitten.

"Put me down!" snapped Pete, "I ain't no sack of potatoes! Let go of me!" But then he realized that Katarina was running as fast as the others and was easily keeping pace with them.

"You are strong," said an impressed Pete.

"And you're still cute as ever," said Katarina.

"Focus, you dingbat!" said an annoyed Nikolai.

"No need," said Reddik, "we're almost there!" up ahead the passageway ended with a large trapdoor in the ceiling.

"We're right under the castle," said Rakel as they all stood under the trapdoor, "when Maleficent took over, she had the lower levels renovated, including this access tunnel to the city. Like a lot of other things, she forgot about them when something else came along. This door opens into one of those renovations, one of several basements used for storage."

"Will there be guards?" Riku asked.

"Not likely," said Rakel, "but still, we should be careful." she reached up and unlocked the trapdoor. It opened and she looked up, "looks clear from here," she looked at Reddik, "a boost, dear?"

"By pleasure, darling," said Reddik. He then helped Rakel up through the trapdoor and into the basement. She then looked down into the passageway, "it's clear! Come on up!"

"'Welcome to my parlor, said the spider to the fly,'" said Teddy as one by one the strike team climbed up into the basement.

"I never thought I'd ever step into this horrible place again," said Riku.

"It's a first time for me," said Tess.

"It's noting to brag about," said Sora, "the sooner we've freed the princesses and found Kairi, the better."

"Which way now?" Jacob asked.

"We take a series of side corridors that'll lead us to Proof of Existence," said Nikolai, "this route will provide with the best placements for my demolition spells, the best means to search for Kairi with our magic, and it will help us avoid being spotted by demons and other foul beings."

"Other foul beings?" Sora asked.

"This is the first we've ever heard of them," said Tess.

"Maleficent has more than demons, Heartless and Nobodies at her command," said Nikolai.

"It's true," said Pete, "I've seen some pretty awful things that Maleficent's been working on, none of them very pretty to look at."

"We'll worry about them if we run into them," said Sora, "let's go."

"Lead on," said Naminé to Reddik, Rakel, Nikolai and Katarina, "this is your territory."

"Not for long," said Reddik. With that they all followed the route through the castle.

* * *

><p><strong>…Memory Skyscraper…<strong>

"Don't give them an inch!" shouted Max as he threw a Defender into a group of Creepers, "or they'll eat you alive!"

"I don't want to be eaten!" shouted Pence as he bashed one Neo Shadow after another with his fist shields.

"They'd probably choke on you," joked one of the supers.

"Don't make fun of me!" shouted Pence as he angrily smashed the head of a Wyvern, "I'm not fat, I'm just husky!"

"That's the spirit!" shouted one of the BPRD agents, "get angry, then focus that anger on the enemy!"

"But do it in moderation!" said one of the wizards, "too much hate and you'll lose yourself to the darkness!"

"It's worked for us so far!" shouted Hektor as he and the other Hakonians fought alongside the heroes. Ever since Sora and the strike team had set off for the passageway into New Hollow Bastion, the combined forces had been furiously battling the seemingly endless onslaught of demons Heartless and Nobodies that Maleficent had sent to destroy them. The hordes of dark creatures had left our heroes and allies trapped in Memory Skyscraper without any apparent means of escape.

Despite the efforts of our heroes and allies, they were being worn down by the enemy's sheer numbers. No one had been killed, but more and more of our heroes and allies had sufferer serious injuries and it was taking nearly everything the healers had to keep them from falling apart.

While our heroes were all fighting valiantly against overwhelming odds, it was the efforts of a select few that held back the unending tide of evil from crushing them out of existence. Max, Harry, Mr. Incredible, the vampires and wolves, the Neon Knights and a few others. Their efforts inspired the others to keep fighting against such a hopeless battle.

While everyone was surely a hero, the real star of the battle was, pun intended, Tekkaman Star, whom was able to destroy more dark creatures than everyone else combined. He would alternate between his lance, which he used as if he were born with it, slashing, stabbing and slicing dark creatures by the hundreds, while also impaling demons with the lance then using his wire gauntlet to retrieve the lance, sometimes pulling the impaled demon along with it and slamming the demon into other dark creatures, and also ripping demons, Heartless and Nobodies apart with his bare hands.

"I'm starting to think Jake's enjoying this," said Oliver and he and Lilly fought side by side to blast the enemy with their minds.

"He may be having fun," said Lilly, "but I'm not."

Just then Tekkaman Star shot up into the air and looked down on the battlefield. In an instant he took in the situation and saw that despite everyone's efforts, they weren't making a dent in the sheer numbers of dark creatures being thrown at them.

He then opened his shoulder plates and began charging up his ultimate attack, "_Voltekka!_" he shouted and shot his energy blast at the dark creatures, destroying thousands of Heartless, hundreds of Nobodies and demons and most of all, giving our heroes a moment of breathing room, allowing the fighters to gain the upper hand and set up a barricade out of prefabricated materials that the BPRD operatives had brought with them.

But then the forehead crystal on Tekkaman Star began blinking. He cried out in pain and clutched at his forehead.

"What's happening to him?" Lilly asked.

"The professor warned us about this," said Jasper, "he can only remain as a Tekkaman for half an hour at a time, and it's been twenty-nine minutes and seventeen seconds!"

Tekkaman Star then landed hard and fell on his side and with a flash of blue light he reverted back to human form.

"Are you alright, Jake?" Oliver asked as he and Lilly helped their friend back up.

"I'm just tired, that's all," said Jake in an uncertain tone as he was helped over to the middle of the are where the healers had set up a makeshift hospital, where he sat down to get his breath back "I…I almost lost it there. I could feel the power tearing at my mind. For a second there, as I looked down over the battlefield, I couldn't tell the difference between friend and foe. For a second, I saw all of us as enemies, then I saw all the dark creatures as harmless, then I saw everyone as…as I don't know what. I nearly went crazy there, and I would have if I'd remain as Tekkaman Star for a few more seconds."

"We'll you're alright now," said one of the healers, "take it easy for a while, rest up. The others have things under control."

"We've got the barricades set up," said Max, "complete with force fields and wizard shield spells. It'll be a while before any demons, Heartless and Nobodies can get at us."

Indeed, a defensive barrier had been established. All around our heroes were several force field projectors that emitted an encircling blue barrier twelve meters tall that the dark creatures couldn't touch without being destroyed.

"How long will that be?" Olette asked as she and the others slumped down in relieved exhaustion, with the exception of the vampires, wolves and a few meta humans and supers.

"As long as it can," said Harry.

"In the meantime the enemy is going to keep amassing more and more monsters against us," said Rosalie. It was true, the area outside the barricade was quickly filling with demons, Heartless and Nobodies. For the time being the dark creatures were keeping their distance from the barrier, gathering more numbers and waiting for the right moment to strike.

"It looks like we're truly trapped," said Max, "we've been in worse situations."

"What do we do then?" Hayner asked.

"We can either sit and wait," said Harry, "or let the enemy in and keep fighting."

"We might as well as wait for now," said Lance, "it looks like Sora and the strike team are the only ones left whom can help."

"Not necessarily," said The Doctor as he stuck his head outside The TARDIS. In the early moments of the battle a handful of Hakonian units had joined the larger force, one of which had carried the time machine to the middle of the area. While everyone else was fighting and establishing the force field projectors, The Doctor, Amy and Rory had been working inside the TARDIS on something that the majority of the assembled heroes and allies didn't understand.

"We can use your time machine to evacuate if we have to," said Falkon.

"The TARDIS is big enough on the inside," said The Doctor, "but I've got something better in mind. It just needs to be finished."

"Just what are you up to, Doctor?" Edward asked. "Your being a Time Lord, I cannot hear your thoughts."

"Ah, now if I were to say, it would spoil the surprise," said The Doctor, "you'll just have to trust me," with that he went back inside The TARDIS.

"I have the distinct feeling that we're being taken for a ride," said Laura Hurst.

"Wouldn't be the first time," said one of the Ramblers.

* * *

><p>"Ninety minutes to go," said Gideon.<p>

"You're loving every second of this," said a disgusted Nessie, "aren't you?"

"Every nanosecond," said a viciously grinning Gideon, "if only I can make you and the other princesses suffer forever."

"Perhaps they can be allowed to survive the ritual," said Maleficent, "so that they can be made to suffer forever."

"And interesting thought," said Gideon. He looked at The Negotiator, "can we adjust the machine to keep them alive after the ritual is complete?"

"It's possible," said the Negotiator, "I'll need to run some calculations," he held up his PDA, but then remembered that the electromagnetic pulse fried the hardware, "of course," he said as he tossed the now useless device off the platform. He then waited a few seconds, and a new PDA appeared in his hands, "I had forgotten that my PDA has an insurance plan with a data recovery feature. What my old device had on the hard drive is now on my new device." He then began calculating Maleficent's plan.

Just then the floodlights came back on. A demon messenger ran up the stairs, "great one!" it shouted to Maleficent, 'we've restored all power in the castle!" just then a loud klaxon went off.

"Internal sensors detect intruders," said The Negotiator as he read a sudden message on his PDA, "in the service corridors, making their way up the castle, it's the Keyblade Brats, as well as Reddik, Rakel, Nikolai, Katarina, Pete and several others."

"They're coming," said Lyra, "they're coming."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" snapped Maleficent. She then looked out at the city where the battle was raging, "I understand now. This entire campaign was but a ruse, with the larger battle a distraction. Well I will no longer be played the fool!" She glared at The Negotiator, "awaken The League of Evil Exes and dispatch them against the intruders at once!"

"Yes, great one," said The Negotiator as he dispatched the orders via his PDA.

"Now," said Maleficent as she looked out over the dark city, focusing her gaze on the battlefield, seeing the force field barricades, "the think themselves safe. They shall soon be proven wrong. But just for caution's sake," she raised her staff and projected a barrier of dark magic around New Hollow Bastion, "now we shall see how this plays out."

* * *

><p><strong>…Toronto…Another Earth…<strong>

Kairi woke up feeling more refreshed and energized than she had felt in a long time. Whatever was in that tea worked wonders as she hopped out of bed and quickly got dressed.

She finished just as Aqua and Ramona walked into the room, with Ramona carrying a large shoulder bag on her left shoulder, "good, you're up and about," said Aqua.

"I feel fantastic," said Kairi, "what was in that tea?"

"A lot of science stuff and some awesome magic," said Scott as he walked into the room, "can we get going now? I'm really getting tired of lugging this thing around," he held up the briefcase handcuffed to his wrist.

"It's almost over, Scott," said Ramona, "all we need to do is get it to the princesses."

"Exactly why do you need to get it to the princesses of heart?" Kairi asked, "can't we just use the talisman once we get there?"

"Alegra told us that only the princesses of heart can use the talisman," said Ramona, "in the hands of anyone else, good or evil, it could destroy an entire planet, which is what happened to Zumakalis, more or less."

"What does that mean?" Kairi asked.

"I'll explain later," said Ramona, "right now we need to end this mess," she closed her eyes in concentration, "I'm going to open a subspace corridor to New Hollow Bastion. We'll be right where Maleficent and Gideon are holding the princesses," she held out her hand, as if about to open a door, but then her hand recoiled from something invisible, as if repulsed by a barrier, "something's wrong, I can't establish the exit. I'm being blocked by a magical force field. There's no way I can get us inside the enemy castle."

"This stinks of Maleficent," said Aqua, "can't you go around the force field, or under it?"

"The entire castle is sealed off," said Ramona, "But I can get us close to the castle, in the dark city, hold on," she closed her eyes and held out her hand. A large white door with a black star on it appeared, "there," said Ramona as she opened her eyes, "we're good to go." she opened the door and walked through, followed by Scott.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Kairi asked as she and Aqua stood in front of the doorway.

"We came here through one of those," said Aqua, "I'm pretty sure."

"Well," said Kairi, "here goes nothing," with that she and Aqua walked through.

* * *

><p><strong>…Memory Skyscraper…<strong>

"Kairi's coming!" shouted a joyful Alice, "right…there!" she pointed to an empty spot near the healing area, where the subspace corridor door opened up. From it emerged Ramona, Scott, Aqua and Kairi.

"Kairi!" shouted Olette as she, Hayner, Pence, Bella, the wolves and several others ran to embrace her. It was a heartfelt scene as Kairi was reunited with old friend and was introduced to new ones.

"What happened to you?" Rosalie asked.

"It's a long and painful story," said Kairi, "but I'm better now, thanks to Aqua, Scott and Ramona."

"Aqua?" Pence and Olette asked.

"Scott and Ramona?" Rosalie and Emmet asked.

"In the flesh," said Scott.

"So you're the one who stole The Sacred Talisman of Zumakalis," said an irate Hayner, "we busted our behinds finding the keys to unseal the vault, and when we finally get the vault open, the talisman is gone! So where is it?"

"He has it in that briefcase," said Edward, "Scott is the only one who can open it."

"Not if I rip it open," said Emmet.

"Don't bother," said Jasper, "that case cannot he destroyed, not even by vampires."

"Believe me, I'd give this thing back to you if I could," said Scott, "but someone told me that I had to hold on to it until the right time."

"A friend told us that only the seven princesses of heart can use the talisman without causing mass destruction," said Ramona, "that's how it is."

"They're telling the truth," said Edward.

"Well that's just great," said Denise, "in case you haven't noticed, we're completely surrounded." She indicated the increasing hordes of demons, Heartless and Nobodies outside the barricades.

"I hate to be the barer of bad news," said Ramona, "Maleficent has put a magical force field around the dark castle. Not even my subspace corridors can get us inside."

"Which means Sora and the others are trapped inside," said Harry.

"Sora?" Kairi asked, "what happened? Where's Sora?"

"He, Riku, Tess, Aiden and several others went inside the castle to get you and the princesses out," said Olette.

"Aiden's back?" Kairi asked.

"He had an adventure of his own," said Bella.

"Just what's been happening while I was gone?" Kairi asked.

"Well, aside from invading the realm of darkness," said Alice, "we've teamed up with heroes from different worlds, the Hakonians, and the last of the Time Lords."

"Time Lord?" Kairi asked.

"We'll introduce you to The Doctor as soon as he's done with…whatever he's doing," said Bella.

"What I'm doing," said The Doctor as he stuck his head outside The TARDIS again, "is figure out a way to get around Maleficent's mojo."

"How'd you know that Maleficent would shield New Hollow Bastion with dark magic?" Edward asked.

"You'd be amazed what a short hop into the future can to," said The Doctor. He then looked at Kairi, "nice to meat you, Kairi, I'm The Doctor, Aiden's told me all about you, we'll talk later." He then went back inside The TARDIS.

"He's a little…strange," said Alice to Kairi.

"What did you expect?" Falkon asked as he walked over, "he's a Time Lord," he then held out his hand to Kairi, "your friend Sora has done much to help bring your people and mine together. Thanks to Sora, The Hankonians are close to freedom and the light."

"I think I need to sit down and listen to everyone's stories," said Kairi, "and what's with that big blue box?"

"It's a time machine," said Falkon, "apparently bigger on the inside."

"Of course it is," said Kairi.

Just then came the sound of a loud roar from beyond the barricades. The ranks of demons, heartless and Nobodies parted to allow six extremely large and ugly humanoid demons. They were over fifteen meters tall with dark brown skin that rippled with muscle. They had four arms that ended in large claws, while their heads had three eyes and mouths full of razor sharp teeth. The creatures lumbered towards the barricades, towering over the top of the force field.

"Looks like we're about to receive some visitors," said Ramona.

"Those things have enough power to rip everyone apart," said Alice.

"And most of us are still too tired to fight for long," said Edward.

"How long can the barricades hold out against those things?" Aqua asked.

Just then the first of the giant demons reached the barricades. It raised it's claws and slashed down at the barrier, delivering massive amounts of damage to the force field projectors. The barrier still held, but at greatly reduced power.

"Not for long," said Edward.

"Then we fight," said Aqua as she summoned her Keyblade, "no matter what, we fight for as long as we can!"

"I'll fight!" said Kairi as she summoned her Keyblade, "for Sora, for Aiden, for Riku and Tess, for everyone! I'll fight for everyone under the light!"

"Count us in!" said Scott as he and Ramona summoned weapons of their own. Scott had an elaborately crafted katana that glowed with a bright indigo flames, while Ramona had a metal war hammer inscribed with runes.

"Wait!" said Falkon, "there's no need for you to sacrifice yourselves, when someone else can do the job more effectively."

"What are you talking about?" Aqua asked.

"He's going to sacrifice himself," said Edward, "him, Tylek and Hektor."

"What?" Kairi asked, "why?"

"Because our task is complete," said Tylek, "yours is still far from over."

"What task?" Max Kildare asked, "you never mentioned a task."

Just then another of the oversized demons joined the first and they slashed at the force field projectors. They still maintained the barrier, but again at greatly reduced power.

"The barricades won't last much longer," said Laura Hurst.

"Which is why we're going to fight those things ourselves," said Hektor.

"You'll be obliterated within seconds," said Pence.

"Not after what we're going to do," said Tylek.

"You're going to each merge with a strong Heartless and become something more powerful," said Edward, "if you do that…"

"We know the risks," said Falkon, "and stay out of our heads."

"You'll die if you do merge with Heartless," said Kairi, "Ulrik died, so did Konrad, and Rakel, she nearly died."

"We know we will die," said Hektor, "and that's exactly what we want."

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, "you want to die?"

"Not really," said Falkon, "but we're dead anyway."

"Without the longevity treatments of the empire, we Hakonians only live a few hundred years," said Tylek, "the average lifespan is 300 years. Some live a few years more, some only a few days, but the end result is the same. Old age hits us like a sledgehammer. We whiter away and die, painfully."

"Greakor was an exception among us," said Hektor, "he had a genetic quirk that allowed him to remain hale and strong long after the expected lifespan. But the three of us…"

"A few months ago the three of us turned 300," said Falkon, "it's only a matter of time before we die of sudden old age. That's one factor that lead us to start the rebellion against Maleficent. We figured if we're going to die, we might as well die fighting for something right."

"But…" said Kairi.

"No buts!" said Falkon, "it's our decision to do this! We've done our part to ensure that our people have a future."

"Reddik and Rakel," said Tylek, "they're the rightful leaders of the Hakonian race, and when we are gone, they will lead our people to a new world of reason, justice, truth, and most of all, light."

"You can't be serious," said Hayner.

"Dead serious," said Hektor. With that he, Falkon and Tylek ran for the barricades.

"Stop them!" shouted Kairi.

"No," said Edward, "this is what they want, we should respect their wishes."

"They're committing suicide!" said Bella.

"They're fighting for us," said Jasper, "We shouldn't let their sacrifice be in vain!"

The three Hakonians reached the barricades and leapt over them, then rushed at the three strongest Heartless they could find. Hektor grabbed a Defender and merged with it, increasing the creature's height by four meters and adding a second shield, while doubling the size of the shields.

Tylek grabbed a Wyvern and merged with it, doubling it's overall size and mass, while growing four more limbs and a second head.

As for Falkon, he grabbed an Invisible and merged with it, also increasing it's overall size by three meters, while sprouting a second pair of arms and arming all four arms with bigger, sharper swords, while changing the skin color to red.

"Now!" said Falkon as he, Tylek and Hektor moved to face the six oversized demons, "let's play!" he rushed at one of the demons, slashing with his four swords. He took one of the demons by surprise and sliced it to pieces before the other demons could react.

Hektor then rushed at another of the oversized demon and slammed his shields into it, knocking the creature down. At the same time Tylek flew up and dove for the demon, slashing at it with his claws and destroying it.

By then the element of surprise had been lost and the four remaining oversized demons, combined with the other demons, Heartless and Nobodies converged on the three merged Hakonians.

"Hell of a way to die," said Hektor. With that he, Falkon and Tylek ran forward to fight the dark creatures. They slammed into the hordes of demons, heartless and Nobodies, fighting for all their worth, but soon found themselves completely surrounded.

But then came the sound of all the wizards shouting, "_Expecto Patronum_!" Dozens of silvery animals attacked the dark creatures. The incredible force of all those happy memories was to much for the beings that survived on negative emotions. The dark creatures were forced back from Tylek, Hektor and Falkon.

"Sorry to spoil your plans for suicide," said Max as he, several meta humans, supers and Hakonians joined Falkon, Hektor and Tylek, "but I don't believe in martyrs.!"

"Neither do we!" shouted Edward as he, Bella, Jasper, Alice, Emmet, Rosalie and the wolves joined the fight outside the barricade. Within seconds they had forced the demons back.

This gave Andrew Carpenter the time he needed to repair the force field projectors, "they're fixed!" he shouted, "get back in here!"

"Just a second!" shouted Emmet as he, Jasper and Max wrestled the last of the oversized demons to the ground. Bella then ran up to it and ripped its head off. With that the heroes outside the barricade withdrew inside and Andrew reactivated the force field.

"It's holding for now," said Andrew, "but if the enemy hits us again with something stronger…I don't know."

"Then it's a waiting game again," said Edward. He looked up at New Hollow Bastion, "your move."

* * *

><p>"The stratagem failed, great one," said The Negotiator.<p>

"I know that already, fool!" snapped Maleficent.

"If I may make a suggestion, great one," said The Negotiator, "the invaders are trapped behind their defenses. Let them sit and wait, while the real threat is dealt with."

"The intruders," said Maleficent, "Sora, and the traitor Hakonians. Yes, they shall be destroyed. When will the revived League of Evil Exes engage them?"

The Negotiator checked his PDA, "the first one, Matthew Pattel, will make contact with them in minutes."

"They are fighting individually?" Maleficent asked, "if they were to fight the intruders together, then Sora and his foolish companions would be destroyed for sure."

"They always insist on fighting alone," said Gideon, "except for the twins, none of the League can even tolerate each other for simple staff meetings, let alone battle together. If they'd all ganged up on Scott when they had the chance, that loser wouldn't have stood a chance, but they'd destroy each other first."

"Why did you ever even bring together those idiots if they couldn't work together?" Xorat asked.

"They all were dumped by Ramona," said Gideon, "and it seemed like a good idea."

"This is all irrelevant," said Kiraxi. She looked at Maleficent, "great one, send me to destroy the brats. My power can destroy their Keyblades. Send me!"

"Send us both," said Xorat, "we'll finish Sora and the others once and for all."

"And you shall," said Maleficent, "but first, let Gideon's dogs have at the intruders, so that Sora and his companions, should they triumph over the league, will be too exhausted to face you."

"That would be too easy, fighting them like that," said Xorat, "I want a challenging fight."

"As do I," said Kiraxi, "send us now, great one."

"DO NOT ARGUE WITH ME!" snapped Maleficent as dark lightning crackled from her staff, "I am in control of the situation! The League will wear down Sora and his companions and then you will finish them off, and that is final! I have spoken!"

* * *

><p>"I've begun sending out the demolition spells," said Nikolai, "They'll reach their target points and arm themselves. Once all of them are in place, I'll detonate them once we've saved the princesses and have gotten clear of the castle."<p>

"Won't Maleficent or Gideon detect them?" Riku asked.

"Unlikely," said Nikolai, "I've used my best spell casting on this endeavor. I'm the only one who can sense them, so the chances of the enemy find the spells are rather small."

Just then Tess stopped. "What's wrong?" Sora asked as he and the others stopped and looked back at her.

"Haven't you guys noticed?" Tess asked, "the lights are back on in here."

"She's right," said Rakel, "the interior lights are on."

"They must have restored power," said Reddik, "they can sense us."

"I think they've detected us already," said Will as he unsheathed his sword.

"Then why haven't they attacked us already?" Teddy Lupin asked. "If it were me, I would have sent everything I had to stop us."

"Maleficent and Gideon are probably focused on the battle outside," said Reddik.

"Or maybe they've got something big planned for us," said Katarina.

Just then there was a flash of flames and Matthew Pattel appeared. "Sora of the Keyblade!" he shouted in an overdramatically fashion, "we meet again!"

"You!" said Sora, "but, you're dead!"

"We did fight him!" said Donald, "and we beat him!"

"Reports of my demise are highly exaggerated," said Matthew. He then looked at Will, Kirjava, Jacob, Teddy, Reddik, Rakel, Nikolai and Katarina, "I see you've added to your circle of friends," he smiled wickedly, "it matters not," he then summoned his demon hypster chicks, "now we shall see whom is the superior master of the mystic arts!"

"Permit me to settle the debate right now!" said Nikolai as he raised his staff, "to counter fire, use water!" he summoned a giant sphere of water and sent it slamming into Matthew, causing him to lose focus. He fell to the ground as his demon hypster chicks vanished.

"This is impossible," said the drenched Matthew, "I cannot be defeated, just when I've been resurrected!"

"It's not impossible," said Jacob as he stepped forward and raised his power pole, "just believe!" he swung the power pole, smashing it into Matthew's head. The first of the revived Evil Exes self destructed into a shower of munny.

"That was easier than I thought," said Nikolai, "but I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, we don't have time for this."

"You're right," said Sora, "let's go!" With that the strike team started running through the corridor.

* * *

><p>"Matthew is dead, again," said The Negotiator, "Lucas is moving to intercept the strike team."<p>

"Those idiots are just going to get themselves killed," said Xorat, "tell them to team up!"

"They won't listen," said Gideon, "they barely listened to me."

"It's time like this," said Violet, "that I'm glad that you villains are so dumb!"

"Then how come I'm walking about and you're having the life sucked out of you?" Gideon asked, "you so called heroes think you're so high and mighty, that we who walk in the dark are always destined to lose. You think you're always going to win, but not this time. The time of the light is over! The time of the dark is almost here!"

"No," said Violet, "you're going to lose. Want to know why I know? You just did a monologue, a sure sign of villainy, and all villains lose, one way or another."

"Oh give it a rest!" snapped Gideon as he slapped Violet across the face, "just stay quiet and let yourself die!"

"If I'm going to die," said Violet as she looked at Gideon in the eye, ignoring the painful welt on her face, "I might as well say what I want."

At that Gideon slapped Violet again, "you'll be quiet and die!" with that he stalked away from her.

"I hope it was worth it," said Victoire.

"Why did you go an antagonize him like that?" Usagi asked.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," said Violet, "and it was worth it, 'cause while he was hitting me, I got my arm free," she pushed her arm out of the clamp, then pulled from her pocket the other sharp key, "if he would just leave me alone for a bit longer," she then began cutting at the clamp holding her other arm, "I can get away from this horrible machine and get us all out of here."

"Good luck with that," said Nessie, "even if we can get off of this machine, Gideon and Maleficent would have us captured in a heartbeat. We're still powerless thanks to the Uridium field."

"Which won't be up for long," said Sara, "I still have some use of my power. It's only a passive power, but I've used Crystal Star to spy on the area. I think I've found the source of the power draining field. It's being projected from three devices, one along the north edge of the platform, the second at the southwest corner and the third at the southeast corner. Smash just one and we'll be strong enough to break free of the machine and we can smash the others, then we'll have all our powers back."

"Good idea," said Lyra, "but I'm going to also keep hoping that our friends will reach us in time."

"Which we don't have much of," said Nessie, "the power draining field hasn't affected my sense of time. The machine's going open the rift to limbo in less than seventy minutes."

* * *

><p>"Can't we run any faster?" Tess asked.<p>

"Not without compromising the second objective of the mission," said Nikolai, "if we run any faster, I won't be able to send out the demolition spells properly."

"Just how many demolition spells are you casting?" Teddy asked.

"Enough to reduce the castle to dust," said Nikolai, "it will be a controlled implosion, brining New Hollow Bastion down on itself, forever."

"I feel like I should be sad about that," said Roxas, "I used to live here."

"If we don't stop the summoning ritual, you're going to die here," said Rakel.

Just then Lucas Lee appeared, "be careful what you wish for, sweet cheeks."

"Excuse me?" Rakel asked irately, "what did you call me?"

"I'm telling you that I find you attractive," said Lucas, "you can be my groupie any day, babe."

"No one calls me babe and gets away with it!" snapped Rakel as she pulled out her switchblade, "I'm gonna cut you up real nice!"

"Wait," said Will as he stepped forward, "I've fought this no talent, cheating, sellout of a bastard before. I'll fight him."

"Mind if I join in?" Teddy asked as he drew the sword of Godric Gryffindor.

"You want to dance, let's dance," said Lucas, "but just so you know," he assumed a fighting stance, "you dance with me, you dance to your deaths."

"That line was lamer than FDR's legs," said Will.

"It nearly won me an Oscar," said Lucas.

"Well I'm no fan of action movies," said Teddy as he pulled out his wand and aimed it at Lucas, "so I'll make it short! _Pertrificus Totalus_!"

At that Lucas's whole body went rigid like a 2X4 and he collapsed to the ground.

"Full body binding spell," said Nikolai, "crude, but effective."

"Wait," said Kirjava, "something's wrong," she crept closer to the disabled Lucas, "it's not Lucas! It's one of his stunt doubles!"

Just then the real Lucas appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Kirjava. Immediately Will gasped in shock and pain, "you…you can't do that!" he gasped, "the taboo…"

"There's no taboos where I'm concerned," said Lucas as he tightened his grip on Kirjava, causing both human and daemon to cry out in pain.

"Let them go!" shouted Sora, "you're hurting them both!"

"That's the idea!" said Lucas.

"I don't understand," said Katarina, "why is he hurting that little kitty but making Will hurt as well?"

"They're one and the same," said Nikolai, "the cat is Will's soul. What happens to one effects the other."

"And I'm gonna squeeze the life out of both of them," said Lucas, "and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" He then squeezed even harder, almost reaching the point where any more pressure would begin rushing Kirjava, and Will was feeling every ounce of her agony.

"Stop it!" snapped Tess.

"Make me!" said Lucas.

"I'll do it!" said Ranma.

"No, I will!" said Teddy. He then leapt over Lucas and landed behind the vile actor turned villain. Sora and the others saw that Teddy had changed slightly. His legs were now bent the wrong way, almost canine in appearance.

Lucas threw Kirjava to the ground in order to face Teddy. The wizard raised his sword to attack and brought it down, but Lucas blocked the blade with his arm, then struck back with a savage kick. Teddy jumped out of the way, then struck back with another sword slash, which Lucas blocked.

By then Will had recovered enough to have picked up Kirjava and was holding her for deal life, as if never wanting to let go, and she clung to him with equal devotion.

"You two okay?" Sora asked.

"No," said Will in a shaken tone, "he nearly killed the both of us."

"My whole life flashed before my eyes," said Kirjava.

"Mine too," said Will.

Just then Lucas kicked Teddy's sword out of his hand. "Face it, baby, you can't beat this superstar."

"When I'm done with you," said Teddy in an irate tone, "you _will_ be seeing stars!" He pulled out his wand and sent a stunning spell at Lucas, who dodged it. Teddy then sent a leg-locker curse at Lucas, whom had it intercepted by one of his stunt doubles. Teddy then furiously sent curse after hex after jinx at Lucas, whom kept dodging them or had his stunt doubles take the spells for him.

"You done, pretty boy?" Lucas asked, "'cause I can go all day."

"In that case," said Teddy as he pocketed his wand, "I'll just have to get personal!" his arms then changed, elongating, sprouting black fur and razor sharp claws. He then ran headlong at Lucas, whom prepared to block the anticipated attack.

But then Teddy jumped over Lucas, landed behind him and then delivered a double claw slash at Lucas' back, severing the vile actor's spine. He collapsed to the ground, while Teddy's arms and legs reverted back to normal as he picked his sword up and sheathed it.

"You okay?" Aiden, "that looked like it hurt."

"It did," said Teddy, "it's worse when you're a full werewolf and you have no control. My mother could change her appearance at will. I inherited it from her, allowing me to become a werewolf whenever I want, without losing my mind, but to change without the full moon, and only part of myself at the time, it's hard on me."

"This is wrong," gasped Lucas as he tried to get up, but found his legs wouldn't work, "this wasn't in the script."

"Welcome to real life, you bastard," said Will as he walked over with his sword out, while Teddy advanced on Lucas as well redrawing his sword. The two of them stabbed Lucas, Will's sword piercing Lucas' right lung, while Teddy's sword pierced Lucas' heart. It was Teddy's sword that finished Lucas off, for the Sword of Godric Gryffindor had many magical properties about it, including the absorbed poison of a basilisk. The venom enhanced sword poisoned Lucas' heart, killing him instantly. His body them shattered into a pile of munny.

"That's two Evil Exes put back in their graves," said Riku, "and if Maleficent and Gideon have brought back the rest, then Todd is next."

"Todd Ingram," said Rakel, "if memory serves me right, he's a vegan with psychic powers and a total asshole to boot," she smiled confidently as she crossed her arms, "leave him to me."

Just then Will nearly collapsed to the ground. "I'm alright," he said as Sora and Jacob caught him and helped him regain his balance.

"No you're not," said Ranma, "I don't need any magical healing powers to tell that you've been through hell on earth, man."

"I'm fine, seriously," said Will.

"We just need a second to get over the fact that someone just violated the most forbidden of all taboos," said Kirjava, "but we can keep going, just don't expect us to fight any time soon."

"Fair enough," said Reddik. With that they all started running again.

* * *

><p>"They've defeated Lucas for the second time," said The Negotiator, "Todd is now moving to intercept the intruders."<p>

"And how many of the brats did Lucas take out?" Xorat asked.

"None," said The Negotiator as he looked at his PDA, "but one of them is partially disabled to the point where he cannot fight."

"How much do you want to wager that the third one won't do much more to hurt the brats?" Kiraxi asked.

"I don't gamble," said Xorat, "but I agree. The League of Evil Exes aren't as effective as Gideon believe. But soon it will be our turn, and then we will show him and everyone else what real villains are made of."

* * *

><p>"We're halfway to Proof of Existence," said Nikolai as they reached a stairway, "a few more levels and passageways."<p>

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Ranma asked.

"Of course I know where we're going," said Nikolai, "I am not like Ryoga Hibiki, in which I cannot even cross a street without getting lost."

"Just a thought, man," said Ranma.

They then exited the stairway and entered another corridor, but right in front of them was Todd Ingram.

"Sorry to spoil the party, kids," said Todd, "but you can't go any further."

"Get out of the way, you vegan vermin!" snapped Reddik.

"We beat you before, Todd," said Aiden as he, Sora, Riku, Tess and Roxas summoned their Keyblades, "we can do it again."

"Not this time," said Todd, "last time you had that freaky vampire who blocked my mind reading. But now, I can read your minds like a book. I can see every move you make before you make it."

"He's right," said Riku, "without Bella, our minds are wide open."

"Not my mind," said Rakel as she stepped forward, "my powers can block his."

"Are you sure, babe?" Todd asked as his eyes glowed white, while his body emitted a white aura and he levitated an few inches off the ground, "'cause nothing can beat vegan power."

"You're delusional," said Rakel, "and don't call me babe!" with that she unleashed her Evil Eye. Her iris's turned orange and began oscillating in and out, while a low droning hum could be heard. "I'll match my powers against yours; a mindbending contest!"

"You want to bend minds?" Todd asked as a high pitch hum could be heard from his eyes, "we'll see who cracks first!" with that the two of them locked gazes, trading psychic attacks.

While to all those watching, the two combatants were merely looking at each other, Sora and the others could sense the furious mental battle going on a limited scale. They could feel a sort of pressure on their minds, as if their consciousnesses were caught in a vise. But they knew, or at least the other Hakonians knew, that the battle was far more furious than what was being sensed.

"They're battering at each other's inner minds with the equivalent of cannon shells," said Reddik, "neither are making progress, their defenses are too strong. It's a stalemate."

"And we don't have time for a stalemate," said Jacob, "I say someone should try to attack Todd and kick his ass while he's too focused on the battle."

"I'll do it," said Katarina as she rushed at Todd, but then the stumbled and nearly fell down.

"What's happening to her?" Tess asked.

"I can guess," said Nikolai, "we have to get her away from them!"

Sora and Reddik rushed to get to Katarina. When they reached her, they felt the psychic pressure on their minds increase to nearly unbearable levels. They nearly lost consciousness and almost fell as well, but held on as they pulled Katarina way from the battle. They then saw that Katarina was not only unconscious, her nose, eyes and ears were bleeding.

"The psychic pressure was too much for her," said Nikolai as he cast a healing spell on Katarina, he then looked at Sora and Reddik, "and it nearly was too much for you too."

That's when Sora and Reddik realized that their noses were also bleeding.

"Anyone who tries to get close could have their brains scrambled," said Aiden.

Teddy then tried casting a stunning spell at Todd, but the intense psychic waves disrupted the spell before it even got close to him.

"Magic can't penetrate either," said Nikolai, while Sora and Roxas stubbornly attempted to blast Todd with Fire, Blizzard and Thunder attacks, but to no avail.

"My powers won't work either," said Namine as she tried to draw Todd's picture so she could take control of his memories, but the psychic waves interfered with her magic.

"I think I have an idea," said Tess, "what we need, is someone without a brain, or one with very little brains." It was then that Sora and the others realized what Tess was referring to and they all looked at Pete.

"What?" Pete asked, "why you lookin' at me like that?"

"It's because you don't have a brain, fluffy," said Katarina as she stood up.

"I do have a brain!" snapped Pete, "I just don't use it that much, that's all, and stop callin' me fluffy!"

"Well you're the only one who can attack that vegetable man," said Goofy.

"That's vegan, ya' big palooka!" said Donald, "hey, wait! You can get to him too!"

"I can?" Goofy asked, "oh, yeah! I can!" He looked at Pete, "ready to set sail, captain!"

"I don't remember havin' you as part of my crew on my old boat," said Pete, "and yes! Let's get that jerk!" he then shouted, "Out of my way!" and barreled towards Todd, ignoring the intense psychic pressure and tackling Todd to the ground. Goofy then followed up with a shield slam to his face, completely breaking the vile vegan's concentration.

Rakel then gasped in relief as the psychic stalemate ended, "that was…intense," she then felt her nose and realized it was bleeding a bit.

"Are you alright?" Reddik asked.

"I've been better," said Rakel, "but I'm still good to go," she glared at Todd, whom had been immobilized by Pete sitting on him, "time to end this."

"Let go of me, you stupid fat cat!" snapped Todd, "I'll fry your brains!" he then sent psychic attack after psychic attack at Pete, but to no avail.

"Sorry, you meatless wimp," said Pete, "your psyche tricks don't work on ol' Pete!"

"They don't work on me neither!" said Goofy.

"I'm not surprised," said Todd, "between the two of you, you barely have three eights of a brain!"

"Oh shut up and die, you vegan bastard!" snapped Rakel as her eyes oscillated in greater frequency and the droning grew louder, "Take this! HYPER MIND CRUSH!"

To the sight of Sora and the others, their vision blurred and changed color, as if the world had become like that of a photo negative, then returned to normal. Todd then shouted in fear and agony as his mind came undone. He then dissolved into a pile of munny.

Rakel then nearly lost balance as exhaustion swept through her, but Reddik caught her before she fell. "I didn't really mean to kill him," she said, "I wanted to leave him a drooling idiot, or at least trap him in his worst nightmares forever. Death is an all too quick and easy release."

"Well, he's gone and nothing's going to bring him back," said Aiden, "we're going to make sure that no one can bring him or any of the Evil Exes back, not Gideon, not Maleficent, no one!"

"I couldn't agree more," said Rakel as she regained her stamina.

"Then let's go kick some Evil Ex ass!" said Katarina. With that the strike team ran through the corridors.

* * *

><p>"Todd Ingram has fallen," said The Negotiator, "Roxie Ritcher is moving to intercept."<p>

"And how many of the brats did Todd take out?" Xorat asked.

"Again, none," said The Negotiator, "but a few of them had their energies drained, compromising one of them so that she cannot fight again for some time."

"This is starting to annoy me," said Kiraxi, "how much longer is the mistress going to let this go on?"

"For as long as I deem it," said Maleficent, "yes, I have been listening to your griping. But I am not unkind. Soon it will be your turn to dispatch the brats. I merely ask for your patience for a little longer, then the battle will be yours to win."

"We will wait and obey, great one," said both Xorat and Kiraxi.

"Just a little bit more," said Violet as she worked on freeing her other arm, "almost there…" she then wiggled her arm against the weakened clamp and it broke, "got it! Now I need to get my legs free and I'm good to go."

"Hurry up!" said Nessie, "we're down to an hour!"

* * *

><p>"Wait!" said Aiden as he lagged behind the others. They had been furiously running through the corridor, and some of them were beginning to get winded, especially Aiden, "I…I need a rest!"<p>

"I think we all could use a breather," said Reddik.

"Right," said Sora. With that they all stopped to get their breath back.

"I don't suppose anyone brought anything to drink?" Jacob asked, "I could drink a river dry."

"I could drink the lake at Hogwarts dry," said Teddy, "though the giant squid wouldn't be happy at that."

"You have a giant squid at your school?" Nikolai asked.

"He's really friendly," said Teddy, "this one time we played tag, then we went chasing after the mermaids."

"You've got mermaids as well?" Sora asked.

"They're not like mermaids that you would think of," said Teddy, "not pretty at all, and really bad tempered."

"What about vampires?" Jacob asked.

"We have them," said Teddy, "but not like the Cullens. Our vampires burn in sunlight."

"What about coffins and turning into bats?" Aiden asked.

"Both true," said Teddy, "thought I've never met a vampire face to face. They don't like werewolves at all."

"Weren't we talking about being thirsty?" Will asked.

"My apologies for not doing this before," said Nikolai as he summoned several thermos' full of cold water and handed them out to the members of the strike team.

"You know, you're not such a mean guy after all, Nikolai," said Aiden as he drank his water. He then looked at Reddi, Rakel and Katarina, "same for you too. You're all kind nice, once we get to know you."

"They are nice," said Sora, "when they're not trying to kill us."

"And you guys aren't the goodie two shoe brats that we've made you out to be," said Rakel, "you're awesomely bad."

"What does that mean?" Tess asked.

"It means that you're cool in our books," said Reddik. He then looked at Sora in an appraising manner, "maybe we can be friends after all."

"Not close friends," said Nikolai, "but more than casual acquaintances."

"Maybe we could keep in touch when this horrible mess is over," said Sora. Just then he tried to take a drink from his thermos, but it slipped out of his hand, tumbled tough the air and landed on Ranma, spilling it's cold contents all over him and in an instant, he transformed into Ranma-chan.

"Oh for the love of god!" snapped a wet and angry Ranma-chan, "this is just too much!"

"What the…!" exclaimed Will, Kirjava and Teddy.

"Oh, that's right," said Aiden, "they don't know that Ranma's cursed."

"What curse?" Teddy asked.

"I fell into a cursed hot spring on a training trip to China," said Ranma-chan, "cold water turns me into a girl, but hot water turns me back to a boy, and I am a boy."

Just then Roxie appeared before them, "some boy you are!" she said "trapped between two sexes, pathetic."

"You're the pathetic one!" said Will, "you hate yourself so much it's a miracle you're even able to function."

"My own problems are just that," said Roxie, "my own, now," she cracked her knuckles, "which of you pinheads do I get to crush first?"

"How about me for starters?" Katarina asked as she also cracked her knuckles and assumed a fighting stance.

"And me," said Ranma-chan as she assumed a fighting stance.

"You both want to dance?" Roxie asked, "fine by me!" she then seemed to vanish, only to appear behind Katarina and kicked her in the head, knocking her down.

Roxie then tried to get at Ranma-chan, but the pigtailed martial artist avoided Roxie's kick, then countered with a kick of her own. The two of them began exchanging punches and kicks that were so fast that the normal human eye couldn't follow them.

Katarina then got back up and also joined the fray, exchanging her share of punches and kicks with Roxie, but the vile half ninja was an equal match for both Katarina and Ranma-chan.

"This shouldn't be right," said Rakel, "that villain shouldn't be this fast."

"She is," said Will, "fast enough to keep up with a vampire."

"Then let's slow things down for her," said Sora. He looked at Donald and Roxas, "together!"

"Together!" said Roxas and Donald. Sora and Roxas aimed their Keyblades at Roxie, while Donald did the same with his staff. They waited for a clear shot, and got one when Roxie knocked Katarina and Ranma-chan back several paces.

"STOP!" shouted Sora, Donald and Roxas. The vile half ninja was then frozen in time. "Get her!" said Sora, "the spell won't last long!"

"Right!" said Ranma-chan. She looked at Katarina, "ever trained by grabbing a chestnut out of an open fire without burning your hand?"

"I grabbed pistachio nuts without burning my hand!" said Katarina, "but your technique has a cooler name!"

"Then let's get her!" said Ranma-chan. The two of them then shouted, _"Katchu Tenshin Amaguriken!"_ and began punching the time-frozen Roxie so fast their fists were barely more than a blur. Within seconds they had delivered over a thousand punches, each blow being absorbed into the stopped villainess.

Time then resumed for Roxie, but instead of the damage catching up with her, she simply disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

"What the…?" Ranma-chan asked, "what happened?"

"Did we just make her explode?" Katarina asked.

"NO!" said Sora, remembering a past adventure, "it was a Shadow Clone!"

"Check out the brain on Sora," said the disembodied voice of Roxie in a sarcastic tone, "you're one smart little brat. Too bad I have to destroy you and your friends."

"Where is she?" Aiden asked as they all looked around to find Roxie, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Where you'll never find me," said Roxie. From out of nowhere came a black throwing knife aimed at Sora. He dodged it, but then several more came out of nowhere, from different directions. Our heroes scrambled to dodged the blades as more and more came at them.

"This is getting us nowhere!" shouted Reddik as he dodged one of the knives. Just then two of the Hakonians who went with the strike team were struck down, one taking a knife to the throat, the other getting pierced by two to the eyes and one to the heart.

"Poor little heroes," said Roxie in a mocking tone, "I'm wearing you down, bit by bit!" she then killed the rest of the other Hakonians, leaving only Reddik, Rakel, Nikolai and Katarina,

"Can't you block the knives or something?" Tess asked Nikolai.

"I've been trying to put up a shield spell!" said Nikolai, "but her shinobi techniques are getting around my magic!"

"Which won't save you for long!" shouted Roxie.

"Oh shut up!" snapped Ranma-chan. She then grabbed one of the knives, then looked at a seemingly empty spot on one of the walls, "there!" she shouted as she threw the knife. It stick something in midair and everyone heard Roxie cry out in sudden pain.

Just then everyone saw Roxie appear and fall to the floor with the knife stuck in her left arm, at the same time the knives stopped flying.

"How'd you know I was there?" Roxie shouted as she struggled to stand up.

"It was the only spot where there weren't any knives coming from," said Ranma-chan, "I'm guessing you used some weird ninja trick to make the knives come at us from all directions, but you had to be throwing them from somewhere."

"Now I know," said Nikolai, "a combination of invisibility and teleportation techniques. Brilliant in its own right."

"And a stolen technique," said Will, "Edward said that she had stolen her family secrets."

"Shut up!" shouted Roxie as she pulled the knife from her arm, ignoring the pain.

"You shut up!" shouted Katarina. She then rushed at Roxie headlong. Roxie aimed a kick to intercept, but the kick seemed to pass right through Katarina, whom them seemed to vanish.

"After image!" said Roxie, "but I'm not one to be fooled!" she then kicked to her left, where the real Katarina was aiming a punch at her. But again, Roxie's attack passed through Katarina, whom then seemed to vanished. That's when the real Katarina appeared above Roxie and delivered a stomping attack to the vile half ninja's head, knocking her to the ground. But then Roxie again disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

"Stop hiding, bitch!" shouted Katarina, "fight for real!"

"You want real?" Roxie asked, "I'll give you real!" she then appeared behind Katarina and stabbed her with a black knife, the blade piercing Katarina's left side below her heart. "Does bleeding to death sound real enough to you?"

But then Katarina grabbed Roxie by the throat and applied pressure, choking Roxie, "You'll run out of air before I run out of blood!" Katarina shouted as she squeezed harder.

"I can hold my breath a long time!" said Roxie, "and I've got two hands!" she then pulled out another knife and prepared to stab Katarina.

That's when Ranma-chan grabbed Roxie's free hand and twisted it, breaking it at the wrist and forcing her to drop the knife.

Katrina then pulled the knife out of her side and stabbed Roxie in the head. The vile half ninja fell to the ground and collapsed into a pile of munny.

"That sucked," said Katarina as she collapsed to the floor. Already the wound in her side was healing, but it would be a while before she could fight again.

"Hang on," said Sora, "I've got it," he then cast Heal on Katarina, causing the wound to stitch itself together faster.

"Thanks," said Katarina, she then looked at Ranma-chan, "and thank you, we make a pretty good team there."

"You're right," said Ranma-chan, "but don't think we're going to start dating after this, I've already got a girlfriend."

"Oh don't be such a prude," said a grinning Katarina, "I'm flexible enough to share you with another."

"I'm not sure Sara would agree," said Ranma.

"Talk about bedroom fantasies later," said Rakel, "keep moving!"

"You're such a spoilsport," said Katarina, "but you're right, we're wasting time." With that they ran through the corridors again.

* * *

><p>"Roxie has fallen," said The Negotiator, "and the Twins are…" he looked at his PDA, his eyes narrowing in shock, "the twins are gone."<p>

"What?" both Maleficent and Gideon asked.

"The Katayanagi Twins are gone," said The Negotiator, "they just…left the castle."

"Why would they do that?" Gideon asked.

Just then a message beeped on The Negotiator's PDA, "they've resigned, Mr. Graves."

"They what?" Gideon asked.

"They resigned," said The Negotiator as he showed Gideon his PDA, "it's an email of resignation. They said that they had had enough of being bossed around by you, that they have no desire to be bossed around by Maleficent and they have no desire to be killed again, by anyone. They said that they had left the second they had woken up from the tanks and that by the time you receive the message, they would be long gone."

"Well, that's gratitude for you," said an irate Gideon, "I gave them pretty much everything they wanted; a musical contract, access to the latest robotic technology, a chance to kill Scott Pilgrim, a chance at immortality and what do they do? They run away. Make a note to chase after them."

"Never mind those insolent ingrates," said Maleficent, "your League has done nothing progressive to the cause. They've had their chance and they failed." She looked at Xorat and Kiraxi, "the time for procrastination is over; destroy Sora and his companions, now!"

"We obey," said both Xorat and Kiraxi. With that they walked down the stairs.

"Things are coming apart for Maleficent and Gideon," said Sara, "I think we've got a chance of wining after all."

"Sora and the others still have to get here," said Lyra, "they have to get past those maniacs, and they also have to get past Maleficent and Gideon."

"But we have an advantage the baddies don't have," said Violet, "I'm almost free."

"And we have another advantage that the enemy doesn't know of," said Sara, "I think my powers are coming back on their own."

"What? How?" Usagi asked.

"That dang power draining field is still on," said Miley, "we're still weak as my Aunt Pearl after she tried steparobics."

"Nice family you've got," said Sara, "but that's beside the point. I do feel my powers coming back."

"Again, how?" Usagi asked.

"We're adapting to the field," said Nessie, "we've been exposed to the Uridium energy enough that our bodies are adapting to it, like germs adapting to antibiotics."

"That's not exactly how I've thought of it," said Sara, "but yes, we're becoming immune to the Uridium energy."

"I do feel a bit stronger," said Lyra.

"Same with me," said Nessie, "in a bit longer I'll be able to break out of these clamps."

"We'll that's just great," said Violet in a sarcastic tone, "I'm almost free, and it'll all be for nothing." She then held out her hand and saw that she was able to turn it partially invisible, "but I'm glad that we're going to be alright."

"Don't celebrate too soon," said Nessie, "we're down to 45 minutes before the machine is able to create the rift to Mu."

* * *

><p>"Another hundred meters and we'll be at Proof of Existence," said Nikolai, "and I'm almost done sending out the demolition spells."<p>

"Almost there," said Sora, reassuring himself, "almost there."

Just then Xorat and Kiraxi appeared before the strike team, "not one step further, infidels!" snapped Xorat.

"The great and terrible Maleficent has decreed that you are to die," said Kiraxi as she summoned her black Keyblade.

"Oh just perfect," said Tess in a nervous tone, "two maniacs, no waiting."

"But we're ready for them this time," said Riku as he summoned his Keyblade, while Sora and Roxas summoned theirs as well.

At that Tess regained her confidence and summoned her Keyblade, "you're right, this time we're ready."

"No," said Reddik, "_we're_ ready for them."

"Sora, you and your friends get going," said Rakel, "We'll take out these lunatics." at that Nikolai and Katarina nodded in agreement.

"You're crazy to fight them by yourselves!" said Roxas.

"They'll rip you apart," said Naminé.

"Not if we rip them first," said Jacob as he began taking his clothes off.

"Get going, Sora," said Teddy as he also took his clothes off, "we'll hold them here."

"Count me in," said Ranma-chan.

"And us," said both Will and Kirjava.

"And me too!" said Pete.

"You guys," said Sora.

"Just go and save the princesses!" said Reddik, "we'll be fine."

"We won't be dieing today," said Nikolai.

"Oh yes you will!" shouted Xorat. He ran at Sora, but Jacob had phased into wolf form and had intercepted Xorat, slashing at the vile Nobody with his teeth, while Ranma and Rakel attacked Xorat from the sides.

Katarina, Ranma-chan, Will and Kirjava had intercepted Kiraxi, forcing her away from Sora and the others.

Sora then noticed that Teddy had transformed into a full werewolf; tall, lean, canine and very deadly. But also completely lucid as he slashed at Kiraxi with his claws, while Nikolai sent out stunning spells at both vile villains.

"Get going, Sora!" shouted Reddik as he sent out spells of his own.

"We're going, already!" shouted Aiden. With that he, Sora, Riku, Tess, Donald, Goofy, Roxas and Naminé, ran forward through the corridor. Sora then turned back and looked at Reddik, "thank you, for everything."

"Thank us when it's over!" shouted Reddik.

"Right," said Sora. With that he ran after the others.

"You are only delaying the inevitable!" said Kiraxi, "you will be destroyed!"

"Oh shut up and fight!" snapped Katarina as she punched Kiraxi in the face.

* * *

><p>"Sora and his companions have gotten past Xorat and Kiraxi," said The Negotiator, "Reddik and several others are holding them at bay, while the Keyblade Wielders and their companions move forward."<p>

"Now whose minions aren't cutting it?" Gideon asked.

"Be silent!" snapped Maleficent. She glared at The Negotiator, "order every Heartless, Nobody and demon in the castle to intercept the brats!"

"Great one," said The Negotiator, "there is none to send. You've ordered every Heartless, Nobody and demon capable of fighting outside to battle the invaders."

"Then order some back!" snapped Maleficent, "do what has to be done to stop Sora! I want him destroyed before he reaches this area!"

* * *

><p>"Something's change," said Alice, "the future, it's becoming foggy. I think we're approaching a point where everything depends on what happens next, and I can't see what's going to happen next!"<p>

"I know one thing for certain," said Jasper, "the numbers of dark creatures surrounding us, they're decreasing."

"It's true!" said Edward, "they're teleporting out."

"But where are they going?" Harry asked.

"The only place Maleficent would send them," said Kairi, "to fight Sora and the others. We have to get in there, now!"

"How?" Mr. Incredible asked, "that castle has a shield that we can't break."

"And there's still the hordes of monsters still surrounding us," said Jackson, "and we're almost out of ammo."

Just then a portal appeared, and from it emerged King Mickey, Ansem, Young Watari, Scrooge McDuck, Professor Von Drake and, most surprising of all, L.

"Looks like we've fallen into a real sticky situation," said the King.

"And not a moment too soon," said L.

"You," said Edward to L in an accusing tone, "you're the one who implanted the dreams in my daughter."

"So you're responsible," said Bella irately, "I ought to wring out your neck, but not before I rip out your eyes and make you eat them!"

"You could do that," said L as he scratched the back of his left leg with his right foot, "but what good will that do you?"

"It'd make me feel better," said Bella as she ground her steel-like teeth.

"But it wouldn't save Nessie," said Rosalie.

"We should listen to what he has to say," said Jasper, "but cautiously, this man has manipulated others all too often."

"I did what I had to be done," said L, "I wish that I could have done it without hurting so many people, but what's done is done." he then saw The TARDIS, "oh, I see that The Doctor is here."

The Doctor then poked his head out of The TARDIS, "that's my name, don't were it out." He then recognized L, "oh, it's you, Ryuzaki."

"Your new body suits you, Doctor," said L.

"You know him?" Kairi asked.

"We've crossed paths before," said L, "and I see that you've recovered from your ordeal."

"No thanks to you," said Kairi, "why didn't you do something to help? You could have saved me and Aiden from a lot of hurting."

"Even if I could have interfered," said L, "I still couldn't, not without confronting both Maleficent and Gideon, not yet anyway. But the right time is almost here. I will face my enemies, but also Light Yagami as well."

"What?" Kairi asked.

"I recalculated the outcome of this conflict," said L, "and I've come to the conclusion that in order to defeat the darkness, I have to be there when the rift to Mu is opened, but before Light steps into reality."

"What made you decide to do that?" Kairi asked.

"New data, of course," said L, "all plans are subject to change when new data is added to the equation."

"We had a visit from Xehanort while you were away," said King Mickey to Kairi.

"What?" Kairi asked, "_the _Xehanort? The one who did all those terrible things ten years ago?"

"If it's not that Xehanort, I don't know who else," said Aqua, "but it has to be that one."

"It was him, alright," said King Mickey, "he told us that Maleficent, Gideon and even Light Yagami is being manipulated by something terrible; Chernabog."

"That's what Alegra told us," said Ramona.

"Alegra?" L asked, "who's Alegra?"

"A really annoying person," said Scott, "but she's ever lead us wrong."

"Oh, you're Scott Pilgrim," said L, "you and Ramona really threw me a curveball when you stole the Sacred Talisman of Zumakalis."

"We had to," said Ramona, "but we're ready to give it to the princesses of heart as soon as they're safe."

"There's still the problem of getting inside New Hollow Bastion," said Aqua.

"Which I've been vigilantly working on," said the Doctor.

"Mind if I assist, Doctor?" L asked.

"By all means, old boy," said the Doctor as he held the door of The TARDIS open for L.

L looked inside, "you've also changed the desktop theme. Steampunk this time, it suits your current life."

"You should have seen the last one," said The Doctor, "all coral."

"Well I always liked The TARDIS," said L, "now, let's get to work." With that he walked inside The TARDIS.

"What exactly is his part in this?" Kairi asked, "L's never been really honest with us, not fully."

"I agree," said Ansem, "L Lawlett has always had his own agenda. But I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe he's acting in our best interest."

"I think you're right," said Aqua, "L may not have been fully honest, but he's never lead us wrong, not seriously that is."

"I wish I had your confidence," said Kairi.

Just then both The Doctor and L walked out of The TARDIS, "we're ready to go," said L, "all that needs to be done is decide who goes with us."

"Me, King Mickey, Aqua, Scott and Ramona," said Kairi, "any more and things could get crowded in there."

"I wouldn't agree on that," said L, "The TARDIS is much bigger on the inside."

"They'll just be an argument on who goes," said Kairi, "and we're running out of time. If we're going to go, it has to be now, and just us."

"Don't argue with her," said Aqua, "let's just go!" With that she hurried Scott and Ramona into the TARDIS.

"We'll get you back to Sora and save the princesses," said King Mickey to Kairi.

"I know we will," said Kairi, "I just hope we're not too late." With that she and King Mickey entered The TARDIS. But as she entered The TARDIS, Kairi saw L having a hushed discussion with Young Watari, with the former handing the later a small black object, then the two of them shook hands.

"Welcome," said Amy to Kairi as she and Rory waited at the control panels, "make yourselves at home, want some tea and biscuits?"

"I'm not hungry," said a stunned Kairi as she looked around in wonder, "it's bigger on the inside."

"That never gets old," said a grinning Doctor as he and L walked in and closed the door. "Now, let's get this show underway." He looked at Amy and Rory, "ready?" he walked to the control panels, "and here we go!" He pressed one of the buttons and the central column began rising and falling, groaning and wheezing as the ship lurched into the time vortex.

"Is this normal?" Scott asked as he and the others held onto the various objects in the control room.

"More or less," said The Doctor as he, Amy and Rory made adjustments on the controls, "now, if everything goes according to plan, we should break through the barrier around the dark castle and materialize where the abducted princesses are."

"What if it doesn't work?" Ramona asked.

"Then who knows where we'll wind up?" The Doctor asked, "or even if we'll be alive afterwards!"

"Is he crazy or something?" Kairi asked.

"I've always thought of him as a madman in a big blue box," said Amy, "but he's never been too wrong before."

"Then again," said Rory, "I did get erased from existence for a while and was brought back as an Auton, but I got better."

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," said Kairi.

"We'll talk later," said The Doctor as he looked at some data on the main view screen, "hang on, we're about to hit the barrier!"

Everyone braced themselves for an even rougher ride, "Aqua, thanks, for everything," said Kairi.

"Thank me when this is over," said Aqua.

"This is it!" said The Doctor, "we're breaking through!" at that the ship shook even harder, "Geronimo!"

* * *

><p>A hidden door opened and Sora and the others emerged in Proof of Existance.<p>

"What is this place?" Tess asked in an uncomfortable tone, "it's creepy in here, like a…"

"A graveyard," said Naminé, "Kairi felt the same way when she passed through here."

"It's a memorial," said Roxas, "for those who had fallen," he looked at the twelve markers, eleven of them red and cracked and one blue and whole. He pointed to one marker that had a pair of knives, "that one there is for Laraxene, and that's for Marluxia, and that's for Lexaeus, that's for Vexen, that's for Zexion, he never said much, and that's for Xaldin, we went to Beast's castle together," he pointed to the marker that had a Sitar on it, "Demyx, he liked to take things easy, but he always tried to make me laugh. And Xigbar, he also had his sense of humor, where as Siax had no humor at all. Luxord, now he liked to laugh."

He then looked at the marker that had a chakram on it, "Axel, he…he really was my best friend," he knelt down beside the marker, "I'm so sorry we had to fight, Axel. But I'm alright. I've got a lot of good friends now, and a really cute girlfriend," he vaguely registered seeing Naminé blush, "and when this is all over, when we've saved existence from the darkness, I'll have Sea Salt Ice Cream with my friends atop the clock tower, and I'll bring an extra bar for you."

"Who's this marker for?" Aiden asked as he looked at the blue marker.

"Me," said Roxas, "Xemnes had this room built as a 'Proof of Existence.' Nobodies aren't suppose to exist, but we do, and Xemnes believed that we should remind ourselves that we are real even if others think not. He had the markers made to represent out lives, but when the blue turns red, it means we truly no longer exist," he touched the marker meant for him, "if this turns red, it'll mean that I've died."

"You don't need some silly marker to show that you're real!" said Sora, "you're real to me."

"And us," said Riku, while Tess, Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

"And you've always been real to me," said Naminé, "even though we're different from other people."

"We are different," said Roxas in a more confident tone, "and that's what makes us special," he then summoned Oblivion and looked at the blue marker, "I don't need a to be reminded of my past anymore. I am who I am. I am Roxas! I Exist!" he then swung his Keyblade at the blue marker and smashed it to pieces. The pieces glowed slightly as they scattered across the room, then faded out.

"Well that was an uplifting scen," said Aiden, "now can we please get going?"

With that they ran to the upper exit and emerged at Naught's Approach. Almost immediately the area was choked with Heartless and Nobodies.

"I've got a feeling that someone doesn't like us," said Tess as they fought the dark creatures.

"Is it that obvious?" Aiden asked. He then shouted in frustration, "We don't have time for this crap!" he then transmuted the air in front of our heroes into a large block of stone. Gravity took over and the stone slab crushed dozens of Heartless and Nobodies, but soon more and more of the dark creatures took the place of their fallen comrades.

"I won't let this stop us!" said Sora as he cast a Gravity spell at the stone slab, reversing gravity for the slab and sending it slamming to the ceiling and crushing more Heartless and Nobodies.

"Go, Sora!" shouted Aiden, "I'll keep them busy here!"

"You're crazy to stay here alone!" said Tess.

"He won't be alone!" said Donald as he zapped a Creeper with a Thunder Spell, while Goofy smashed a Crawler with his shield.

"Right!" said Sora, "and thanks, guys!"

"Thank us when you save the princesses!" said Aiden.

"Right!" said Sora. With that he, Riku, Tess, Roxas and Naminé ran forward and reached the next area, Ruin and Creation's Path.

Again, the area was choked with summoned Heartless and Nobodies.

"We keep killing them," said Tess, "but they keep coming."

"And we're running out of time!" said Riku.

* * *

><p>"Almost there!" said Violet as she furiously cut at the clamp holding her legs.<p>

But then Gideon appeared in front of her, "you really are getting on my nerves," said Gideon.

"Likewise!" said Violet.

Gideon then tried to grab the sharp key from Violet, but then she changed her grip on it and stabbed it into Gideon's arm. The key only went in less than half an inch, but the wound produced a significant amount of blood, and greatly enraged Gideon in the process.

"You little twerp!" snapped Gideon as he pulled the key from his arm, ignoring the pain and tossing the bloody key over the platform, "alright, that does it!" he then walked to one of the control panels of the machine, "I'm turning it up to eleven!"

"'Eleven?'" Nessie asked, "what's that?"

"You can't be serious, Mr. Graves!" said The Negotiator, "that would kill them almost instantly!"

"That's the idea," said Gideon, "I've had just about enough with these brats. I'm going to speed up the ritual and take all their energy in one big pull!"

"What will that do to the outcome of the ritual?" Maleficent asked.

"In theory," said the Negotiator, "nothing. Lord Kira will still be freed from Mu, but…"

"But what?" Gideon asked, "you're not having second thoughts about killing the brats, are you?"

"Not at all, Mr. Graves," said The Negotiator, "I am merely concerned that if the ritual is rushed, the machine could malfunction and the opening of the portal could be flawed."

"Flawed how?" Maleficent asked.

"The rift could be too small," said The Negotiator, "or too big. We might indivertibly rupture the fabric of reality and create unmeasured chaos."

"It'll be worth the risk," said Gideon as he pressed the desired buttons on the control panel, "the modifications will take a few more minutes, and then it'll all be over," at that he smiled viciously, "for the princesses that is."

"Sora," said Nessie, "whatever you're going to do, do it now!"

* * *

><p>"We'll clear a path for you, Sora!" shouted Roxas, "go, save Nessie and the others!"<p>

"We'll be fine!" said Naminé, "get going!"

"You can't expect me to leave you behind!" said Sora.

"Someone has to go up and fight Maleficent and Gideon," said Roxas.

"You, Riku and Tess, go!" said Naminé, "we'll be fine! Get going!"

"Thank you," said Riku. He looked at Sora and Tess, "let's go!"

"Right!" said both Tess and Sora. With that they ran for the upper exit.

They then emerged at the enlarged Altar of Naught and saw the machine, the princesses strapped into it, Gideon, The Negotiator and Maleficent.

"So you have come after all, Sora," said Maleficent, "but you're too late!" she looked at Gideon, "speed up the ritual!"

"You're the boss," said Gideon as he pressed the desired button. At that all seven princesses screamed in agony as their energies were drained fore rapidly.

"What are you doing to them?" Riku asked.

"I'm killing them and brining Lord Kira here that much faster!" said Gideon, "and there's nothing you can do to stop it!"

"Nessie, Lyra!" shouted Riku.

"They can't hear you," said Gideon, "they'll be dead in less than a minute!"

"And if any of you three move," said Maleficent as she raised her staff, "you will have to defeat me first, and I will not be defeated so easily as the last time, Sora!"

Sora knew that there just wasn't enough time to fight Maleficent, and possibly Gideon, in order to get to Nessie, Lyra and the other princesses. Even with Riku and Tess backing him up, he still had to figure out how to turn the machine off without hurting the girls. It was an impossible situation.

But then a miracle happened, in the form of a big blue Police Box that groaned into existence between Maleficent and the machine.

* * *

><p>"We're here," said the Doctor.<p>

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kairi asked as she rushed at the door and ran out, followed by Aqua.

They emerged onto the platform, looked around and saw what was going on.

"Sora!" shouted Kairi.

"Kairi!" shouted Sora.

"The machine!" shouted Riku, "smash it!"

Without needing further explanation, both Kairi and Aqua summoned their Keyblades and threw a dual Strike Raid attack at the machine, delivering massive amounts of damage to the vile device. Control panels and circuits began to blow out and sparks burst across the device.

"The machine!" exclaimed the Negotiator as he examined his PDA, "it's overloading!"

"No!" snapped Maleficent, "Gideon do something!"

"Not today, jerk!" snapped Tess as she rushed at Gideon, while Sora and Riku ran at the machine and began freeing the princesses one by one, then they were joined by Kairi and Aqua.

"What took you guys so long?" Nessie asked as she was freed.

"We were sort of delayed," said Riku.

"I'm sorry, Kairi," said Sora as they freed Lyra and then the others, "I wanted so badly to save you, but…"

"It's alright, Sora," said Kairi as she smiled, "I'm just glad to see you, you lazy bum." They then got the princesses away from the machine as it finished destroying itself, the vile construct collapsing in on itself in a shower of sparks and flames.

"If you're quite done," said Violet, "would you mind smashing the Uridium energy projectors that are sapping our powers?"

"That machine did a number on us," said Sara, "but we'll be fine once the power-dampening fiend is gone." She pointed to the three projectors, "destroy them and we'll be right as rain soon."

"Right," said Sora.

"I got it," said Aqua. She then sent out three fireballs that destroyed the projectors. Almost instantly the seven princesses began to feel restored.

"I'm finally getting my wind back," said Miley.

"Ditto," said Sara as she, Nessie, Violet, Victorie, Usagi, Lyra and Pan all nodded in agreement.

"You're Aqua, aren't you," Riku said Aqua.

"In the flesh," said Aqua, "nice to meet you and Sora again. But we can catch up again later. Right now we need to go."

"We can't leave without Aiden and the others," said Sora, "they're all still downstairs."

"None of you are going anywhere!" said Maleficent, her staff crackling with her rage, "you insolent fools! You think that you can defeat me, the mistress of all evil, at the moment of her greatest triumph?"

"It's over, Maleficent," said Nessie as she stood up straight, feeling her immortal powers returning to their full strength, "you've failed. The machine is busted. Kira isn't making an appearance any time soon!"

"Oh yes he is!" said Gideon as he smiled viciously. He pointed to a spot next to the destroyed machine where a small grey light had appeared.

"Oh, I see," said the Negotiator, "the speeding up of the ritual changed the location of the rift, as well as the size, but it is growing bigger."

Indeed the gray light was increasing in size. At first it was no bigger than a pinhead, but now it was bigger than a marble, then the size of an egg, then a baseball.

"How is it growing without the energies of the princesses?" Maleficent asked.

"The princesses' energies forced the rift open," said The Negotiator, "but the rift was initially a micron in diameter. Even I cannot tell how it is still growing."

"It is lord Kira!" said Gideon, "his will is forcing the rift open! He will be here soon, and all shall be plunged into darkness!"

"You're an even bigger idiot than I remember, Gideon," said Ramona as she and Scott exited The TARDIS.

"Hey, Ramona!" said Gideon, "and Scott, I was hoping that you two would show up. You're just in time to see Lord Kira's return."

"I'll be with you in a second, Gideon," said Scott, "I've got a delivery to make," he then walked up to Sora. He then touched the briefcase in a specific spot. The handcuffs fell off and the case opened, revealing The Sacred Talisman of Zumakalis. Scott then handed it to Sora, "I'm sorry we had to take this, but a friend said we had to keep it safe until the right time, and that time is now."

"Uh, thanks, I guess," said Sora as he took the talisman from Scott, "but how do I use it?"

"You don't," said Aqua. She then looked at Nessie, Lyra, Sara, Violet, Usagi, Miley and Victoire, "they do."

"Us?" Lyra asked.

"You're the only ones who can use it without causing mass destruction," said Ramona, "only seven pure hearts, united as one gains the darkness, can use The Talisman's true power."

"I guess that makes sense," said Sora. He then handed the talisman to Nessie.

"It's about time we got this," said Nessie as she looked at the talisman all over, examining it from all angels.

"But how do we use it?" Usagi asked as she and the other princesses looked at the talisman as well.

"You don't!" snapped Maleficent, "I shall destroy you all!"

Just then L walked out of the TARDIS, "you'll never destroy anyone ever again, old friend," he said.

At that Maleficent looked like she had just received the shock of her life, "you," she said, "but…I killed you!"

"I kept sending you all those messages saying that I was alive," said L, "it's your own fault that you ignored them."

"Oh don't blame the old goat," said The Doctor as he, Amy, Rory and King Mickey, exited The TARDIS, "she's so wrapped up in her own delusions of grandeur that it's a miracle she knows which way is up."

"Who are you and why are you with this creature?" Maleficent demanded as she pointed at L.

"I'm The Doctor, and I'm here to help end this madness before it gets any worse."

"It's about to get much worse," said King Mickey as he pointed at the ever widening rift.

"We're too late," said Rory.

"Not just yet," said L. He then walked right up to the rift, "I know you're in there, Light. So why don't you just show yourself already."

By now the rift was wide enough for everyone on the platform to see Light Yagami. Sora and the others were astonished to see that the person, the insane man who thought himself a living god who could change his world, looked perfectly ordinary.

Maleficent, on the other hand, had other ideas, as did Gideon.

"That is Kira?" Maleficent asked in an outraged tone, "that is the lord of darkness you have been worshiping?"

"I…I…" said a dumbfounded Gideon.

"He's been manipulating you," said L, "just as Light Yagami has been manipulating those around him ever since he picked up the Death Note."

"Perceptive as always, Ryuzaki," said Light Yagami, "I missed our endless psychological game of cat and mouse, locked in a battle of wits to the death that spanned one universe out of another."

"Sometimes you'd kill me," said L, "and sometimes I'd survive. But no matter how events played out, you always died. Your Shinigami friend, Ryuk, he would always write your name in his Death Note, and you would die."

"And my soul would always end up here, in Mu," said Light, "we're all here, countless souls of the same person, where we combined to become one oversoul, but we're not satisfied with spending eternity in limbo. We found a way out, Ryuzaki, a door to a new universe with new worlds, and what worlds they are; worlds full of magic and mystery, worlds of heroes and villains, of love and hate, and most of all, worlds in need of justice, and I am the one whom shall deliver that justice."

"Your brand of justice, you mean," said L, "kill the wicked outright and impose strict laws on the righteous, and anyone who breaks those laws suffer horrible, lingering deaths."

"It's the only way, Ryuzaki," said Light, "I am the only one whom can bring order to chaos, to bright light to the darkness."

"No!" shouted Gideon, "this can't be! You were supposed to be a god of darkness, not light! You're supposed to be the supreme overlord of evil, not some justice advocate."

"Sorry if I'm not up to your standards," said Light, "but I needed someone who had the resources and the drive to get me out of this living hellhole."

"Just like you used Misa Amane," said L, "just like you used your own father and his colleagues. Just like you used everyone around you."

"Sacrifices had to be made," said Light, "and more sacrifices will have to be made, all in the name of justice."

"Again, your brand of justice," said L, "you think you _are_ justice, Light Yagami, otherwise known as Kira. When in fact, you're the greatest mass murderer in the history of the multiple planet Earths."

"I am justice!" said Light, "And look at all those whom I had destroyed; murderers, psychopaths, serial rapists, arsonists, kidnappers, religious fanatics, terrorists, the list goes on and on. They all deserved to die!"

"What about the innocent people who you had killed?" L asked, "those who questioned your brand of justice, those whom wanted things to go back to the way they were, before everyone was forced to obey or die?"

"The way things were was worse than what I did!" snapped Light, "the world was falling apart, decaying at the core. Human civilization would have collapsed if that Death Note hadn't fallen into the world. Someone had to pick it up and use it, someone had to take that step and change the world for the better.

"I took that chance, I sacrificed my own sanity in order to bring about a new world, a better world. I made a world that was free of war, terrorists, serial killers and other scourges of civilization. I created a world without fear, without pain!"

"You only made the world so afraid of you that they couldn't do anything you thought was wrong," said L, "a world without freedom of choice. You created a police state, with you as the ultimate cop, and a crooked cop at that."

"That's right," said Sora as he looked at Light, "you think you can change the worlds, and I'm sure you can. But did you ever think that it was right to do so?"

"You say you want to bring about order and justice," said Riku, "but have you ever considered that maybe the worlds are fine without you? That by changing them to suit your visions of order and justice you would make things worse?"

"How could things be any worse?" Light asked, "these worlds are constantly under the threat of villains such as Maleficent, and there are things worse out there, much worse."

"What can possibly be more worse than I?" Maleficent, "I…the mistress of all evil!"

"You may think yourself the mistress," said Light, "but somewhere there is a master, a true overlord of darkness."

"Chernabog," said Sora, "we were warned about him."

"And I'm the one whom shall defeat him, once I've set things right in these worlds," said Light, "I shall be the god whom shall lead the realms of light in a holy crusade against the darkness that shall destroy Chernabog and bring about a new age of peace and justice that will last until the end of time!"

"That's quite an ambitious plan you've got there," said The Doctor, "considering that time won't end for another few hundred trillion years or so."

"I've lost count of the number of time I've died on parallel worlds," said Light, "my souls have merged into one. I have done the impossible, I've overcome death!" he then looked up and shouted as loud as he could, "do you hear me, Ryuk? I've beaten you! I've conquered death itself!"

"No, Light," said L, "you've conquered nothing. In fact, you've been conquered. Not by death, not by reason and justice, but you your own selfish desire for power and glory. It's driven you hopelessly insane, and it's your own madness that'll destroy countless lives.

"By leaving limbo you'll break the most powerful of unwritten taboos; those who wind up in limbo because of the Death Note, stay in limbo, forever. But if you leave limbo and reenter the realms of the living, you'll trigger a paradox that will unleash unparallel chaos across existence, chaos that Chernabog will feed on. Your desire for order, reason and justice will bring unspeakable evil!"

At that Light laughed insanely. He the glared at L, "I expected a better excuse from you, Ryuzaki, trying to make me believe that my trying to save existence will indivertibly destroy it. You're about to be proven wrong."

Sora and the others then realized that the rift was almost big enough for Light to step through.

"At long last," said Light, "I am free. Once I step into the real world, I'll live again!"

"We'll stop you!" said Sora.

"As if you can," said Light.

"No, Light," said L, "I'm going to stop you."

"Oh really?" Light asked, "how?"

"Wait!" said Riku realizing what was going to happen, "L, don't do it!"

"I have to," said L, "I've thought about it long and hard and I've come to the conclusion I'm not really needed any more, except for one thing." Without any warning, he ran for the rift and leapt through it into limbo, tackling Light and forcing him from the rift.

"What…?" exclaimed Sora.

"Close it!" shouted L as he looked back into the real world, "close the rift!"

"NO!" raged Light as he tried to get up, but L tackled him again. Light then kicked L, but L punched Light in the face. The two of them began grappling, with Light struggling to get away from L, and L struggling to keep Light away from the rift.

"He's sacrificed himself," said a shocked Kairi, "he's going to hold Light in Mu."

"He can't do that!" shouted Miley, "he'll be stuck in there forever with that crazy guy!"

"That's the idea," said Nessie, "I don't like it, but it makes sense." she looked at Sora and the others, "seal the rift! Do it, now!"

"We can't," said Tess, "We just can't leave him in limbo with that lunatic."

"It's either that or let existence as we know it die," said Lyra.

"What are you waiting for?" exclaimed L as Light tried to claw his way to the rift, but L pulled him away from the opening, "do it!"

"Don't waste his sacrifice, Sora!" snapped Ramona, "close the rift, now!"

"Don't you dare!" snapped Gideon as he pulled his sword free of his cane, "I've waited too long for Lord Kira to come, and he will come!"

"Over my dead body, Gideon!" said Scott as he summoned a glowing katana.

"I don't have time for this, Scott!" said Gideon as he and Scott began fighting.

"I've got all the time I need," said Scott.

"So do I!" said Ramona as she pulled out from her shoulder bag a sword of her own and faced Maleficent, whom was preparing to cast several curses at our heroes.

"Stand aside, girl," said Maleficent.

"Not on your life," said Aqua as she stood with Ramona and summoned her Keyblade, "I've got a bone to pick with you!"

"Yes, I remember you," said Maleficent in a vicious tone, "I too have unfinished business with you." She then launched her dark magic at Ramona and Aqua, whom blocked the curses, then Aqua countered with spells of her own; Fire, Thunder and Blizzard, while Ramona sought to find an opening for a direct attack.

"Settle scores later," said Riku. He looked at Sora, "we have to close the rift, Sora, we have to."

"I can't hold him back forever!" shouted L as he grabbed Light in a restraining hold, with Light barely a foot from the edge of the rift, "close it! For the love of all things under the light, do it! Please! Do it!"

"Just do it, Sora!" said Nessie.

Realizing that further argument would be pointless, Sora looked at Riku, Kairi and Tess. The three of them nodded at Sora, agreeing with him, and the four of them, grimfaced and resolved, aimed their Keyblades at the rift and shot out streams of white magic. The energy connected with the rift and it began to close.

"Stop it!" shouted Gideon as he tried to get past Scott, but Scott wouldn't move out of the way.

"It's over, Gideon," said Scott, "game over."

"NO!" screamed Light as he frantically strugged to free himself from L, "you can't do this to me! I am a god! A god!"

"You're only a god in your own mind, my friend," said L as he held onto Light, "I'm sorry to have to shatter your self delusions. But think of the bright side; you said that you missed our game of cat and mouse. Now we can play forever."

"NO!" shouted Light as he reached for the nearly closed rift, "you can't do this! I am Kira!" but his shouts were in vain, for the rift was sealed shut with a loud _'Click!',_ trapping him and L in Mu.

"It's over," said Riku as he, Kairi, Sora and Tess sighed with relief and slumped to the floor, "it's finally over."

"It's never over!" shouted Maleficent as she sent out a wave of dark magic that knocked Aqua and Ramona down, while also knocking down Scott, "you insolent, meddling twerps! I will see you all dead today! Xorat! Kiraxi! Attend to me!"

There was a few seconds of tense silence, but Xorat and Kiraxi failed to appear.

"What is this!" raged Maleficent, "Xorat! Kiraxi!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Maleficent," said a very battered and bruised Reddik as he, Rakel, Nikolai, Katarina, Will and Kirjava, Jacob, Teddy and Pete, carried Xorat and Kiraxi, both of them bound in magically enchased chains, up to the platform. They were soon joined by Aiden, Roxas, Naminé, Donald and Goofy, whom also looked like they had just finished a brutal battle.

"Looks like we missed all the action," said Roxas.

"We had plenty of exercise downstairs," said Rakel as she held her left hand over her eyes, while her right hand was being held by Reddik.

"JACOB!" shouted Nessie. She then ran over to Jacob, tackled him to the floor and kissed him on the lips.

"This is becoming a habit of yours," said Lyra as she rushed over and hugged Will, whom hugged her back, while Pan and Kirjava touched paws.

"We have very good reason to be happy," said Victoire as she rushed over and hugged Teddy, whom hugged her back. They kissed, but then Victoire saw the sword in his hands, "is that…that's the sword of Godric Gryffindor! How…?"

"It presented itself to me when I was in need," said Teddy, "now that I've saved you and all of existence, I assume it'll vanish and appear to another Gryffindor who needs it."

"It is a cool sword," said Ranma-chan as he and Sara hugged, neither of them having any qualm about him being a she while he hugged Sara.

"Forget about swords!" exclaimed Usagi, "what about Mamo-chan?"

"And my family," said Violet.

"And my family," said Miley, "and what about Jake?"

"They're all fine," said Tess, "especially Jake."

"You should see him, Miley," said Riku, "he's a real hero now."

"Aren't you the least bit interested on how we subdued the two lunatics?" Nikolai asked, indicating Xorat and Kiraxi, whom were struggling to get free, but the magical chains wouldn't budge.

"I put the Evil Eye on them," said Rakel, "and I kept it on them, longer than I should have," she took her hand away from her eyes. Sora and the others were shocked to see that the eyes were heavily bloodshot and the corners were leaking blood.

"Your eyes," said a stunned Kairi, "are they…?"

"I'm completely blind," said Rakel in a clam yet unhappy tone, "I focused all my power on both Xorat and Kiraxi, which isn't something I normally do, put the Evil Eye on more than one victim. Not only did I had to divide my focus on two targets, I had to use more of my mental and physical energies than I could safely use. I did incapacitate them, but it damaged my eyes. I could feel the blood vessels in my eyes breaking, and who knows how seriously I hurt my optic nerves."

"We'll get you healed as soon as possible," said Reddik in a worried tone, "but why did you put yourself at such risk? You could be permanently blind."

"It was worth it," said Rakel.

"But we were doing just fine," said Katarina as she rubbed a swollen wrist, "well, not so fine, but we weren't in trouble."

"You were in trouble, Hakonian bitch!" snapped Xorat as he struggled against the chains, but they wouldn't budge an inch, "And you still are! just let me lose and I'll gouge your eyes out with a rusty screwdriver!"

"And I'll shove a red hot poker up your ass!" snapped Kiraxi as she also struggled to free herself of the chains. She then saw Kairi, "you!" she then struggled harder, flopping around like a fish out of water, "free me! I'll tear her apart!"

"What happened to you?" Kairi asked, "you used to be without emotion."

"That was before I lost to these losers!" snapped Kiraxi, "I lost and I'm pissed! Let me go! I'll skin you alive and make a dress out of you!"

"It would seem that insanity is inevitable in biots," said The Negotiator.

"Damn right I'm crazy!" spat Kiraxi, "just let me lose and I'll kill you all!"

"Not on your life, missy!" said Pete as he pulled out a roll of duct tape, tore a pair of strips off and tapped the mouths of Xorat and Kiraxi shut, then sling them over his shoulders like sacks of flour.

"Traitorous beast!" snapped Maleficent, "you'll rue the day you betrayed me!"

"Lady, I regret every moment I spent with you," said Pete as he vindictively glared at his former mistress.

"Imbecile!" said snapped Maleficent, "if it were not for me, you would still be exiled and alone!"

"He wouldn't have been that way forever," said King Mickey, "we would have forgiven Pete for his wrongdoings, I always have," he looked at Pete, "glad to know that you're a good guy again, Captain."

At that Pete smiled modestly, "Aw, just call me Pete, everyone does."

"If I may make a suggestion," said Nikolai, "I believe that the time to leave is at hand."

"You are not leaving, you backstabbing slime!" snapped Maleficent, "you, and your entire Hakonian race, shall be exterminated, here and now!"

"I think not," said Reddik, "your days in New Hollow Bastion are over. We're going to destroy it."

"We've planted all these exploding spells all over the castle," said Katarina as she smiled with eager anticipation, "we're going to blow it up!"

"I won't let you!" said Maleficent as her staff crackled with dark lightning.

"It's too late," said Nikolai, "for security reasons, I kept the means to activate the demolition spells to myself. They'll go off in sequence, creating a controlled implosion, when I say the codeword, and the codeword is...Excelsior!"

Deep in the bowels of the castle, the first of the demolition spells activated and exploded, shaking the entire castle.

* * *

><p>"Look!" shouted Hayer as he pointed at New hollow Bastion. He and everyone saw the first explosion blow a hole out of the bottom of the castle.<p>

"It's begun," said Edward, "the enemy stronghold is falling."

"Aren't we forgetting something?" Olette asked, "Sora and the others, they're not back yet!"

"They're still in there?" Bella asked, "Jacob, Renesmee, the others…"

"They're going to get out in time," said Alice, "but…I can't see where they're going to end up."

Just then another explosion destroyed part of the dark castle.

Almost immediately afterwards all the Nobodies in the area began attacking the throngs of Heartless. The demons stood by in confusion as the other dark creatures began destroying each other. Even though the Heartless hordes had the Nobodies outnumbered, the Nobodies were much more powerful than the other dark creatures, so it was a more or less even fight.

"What's happening?" Pence asked.

"The Uridium controlling items," said Young Watari, "they must have been stored in the destroyed part of the castle."

"And without all that Uridium," said Ansem, "Maleficent and Gideon will lose their power over the Nobodies."

"That still leaves our friends trapped in there," said Hayner as another part of the castle exploded.

* * *

><p>"You were supposed to wait until we were out of the castle before you blew it up!" Aiden shouted at Nikolai.<p>

"Well, the plan has by now been thrown out of the window," said Nikolai.

"I'm glad you felt spontaneous," said Reddik, "but there's the simple fact that we're still in here!"

Just then more explosions rocked the castle, "the next blasts will bring the castle down!" said Nikolai.

"We'll never get out in time!" said Kataraina, "we're dead!"

"Not if this Time Lord has anything to say about it," said The Doctor, "everyone into the TARDIS! There's plenty of room, let's go, people! While we're all still reasonably young!"

"There is room for everyone," said Aiden, "it may look like just a blue box on the outside, but the inside is much bigger!"

"It's true," said Kairi, "everyone, come on!"

That started our heroes, allies and the princesses towards The TARDIS.

"What do I do with these chumps?" Pete asked, indicating the restrained Xorat and Kiraxi.

"You will do nothing with them," said Maleficent as she raised her staff. In an instant, the two chained lunatics vanished from Pete's shoulders.

"Am I to assume that we are to retreat as well?" The Negotiator asked.

"Running would be a good idea," said Gideon.

"No," said Maleficent, "not running away, merely falling back to strike again later," she glared at Sora, "this is not over, boy!" with that she teleported herself, Gideon and The Negotiator out of the area.

"Sora, let's go!" shouted Kairi, with her and Sora being the last ones outside of The TARDIS. With that she and Sora ran inside the disguised time machine and shut the door.

Upon seeing the interior of The TARDIS, Sora, like so many others in the strike team, were awestruck by how big the ship was.

"Yes, yes, it's bigger on the inside," said The Doctor as he hurried to the control panels, "now, just a few button pushes and lever flicks and," he made the necessary adjustments, "and away we go!" he pressed the final button and the central column begin rising and falling, sending The TARDIS into the time vortex.

The ship vanished from the area just as the last round of demolition spells went off, destabilizing the support structure of the castle. In a manner of seconds, New Hollow Bastion, former headquarters of Organization XIII, collapsed on itself and was reduced to a pile of rubble from which rose a large dust cloud.

* * *

><p>As soon as the castle finished collapsing, nearly all the remaining Heartless and Nobodies surrounding our heroes in Memory Skyscraper teleported out. The demons then looked around, all of them confused by the sudden turn of events. They took a long look at our heroes behind the barricades, then they themselves teleported out, as if saying that they had had enough fighting and being bossed around for the time being.<p>

"Did we win?" Denise asked.

"Not just yet," said Hayner, "Sora and the others."

"They did escape before the castle collapsed," said Alice, "but," she closed her eyes in concentration, "I can't see where they are, not exactly, it's…unclear, like trying to see through too much fog. Wait, it's coming clearer now, they're…still on this world, but on the other side of the world… on a beach!"

"A moonlit beach?" Ansem asked.

"Yes," said Alice.

"I know exactly where they are!" said Ansem

* * *

><p>"This is where we wound up after we defeated Xemnes," said Sora to Riku as he and the others exited The TARDIS. The disguised time machine had exited the time vortex ad our heroes exited it, expecting to be back with their friends in Memory Skyscraper. Understandably, they were disappointed.<p>

"I know this place," said Aqua, "I've spent over ten years here, trying to find my way out and almost giving up hope of ever seeing the light again," she pointed to one spot near the tide line, "that's where I met Ansem and we agreed to wok together."

"Exactly how did we wind up here when we were supposed to be back with our friends and loved ones?" Sara asked.

"Apparently," said Aiden, "the TARDIS has a habit of going where she wants."

"That's only part of it," said the Doctor, "The TARDIS, she's alive," he affectionately patted the wooden siding of the disguised time machine, "and also, a Type 40 TARDIS requires a crew of 6 in order to fully function."

"You mean to tell me that you've been traveling though time for hundred of years without a full crew?" Nikolai asked, "are you insane?"

"Never mind that," said Tess, "what about L? he's stuck in limbo with that psycho Kira."

"He saved us all," said Nessie, "L…he sacrificed himself for all of us, for all people, for all worlds, for all of existance."

"And we're eternally grateful," said Tess, "but what of L? He's trapped in limbo forever with a madman at his throat. What could have made him decide to do that?"

"I don't know," said Riku, "but…he must have thought it was the right thing."

Just then Maleficent, Gideon, The Negotiator, Xorat and Kiraxi, the last two having been freed of the enchanted chains, appeared in front of our heroes. "It's a shame that your efforts will all be in vain!" said Maleficent.

"Oh crap!" said Sora.

**The end of chapter 11.**

Next chapter brings this tale to its world-shattering conclusion. Who will survive? Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	12. Chapter 12: The Rainbow Within

Last time found the princesses of heart falling victim to Gideon's insidious machine as Sora and the rescue team infiltrating New Hollow Bastion, while their friends and allies held the enemy outside in Memory Skyscraper. Kairi finished her recovery and arrived at the allied camp with Scott, Ramona and Aqua. The King arrived with Ansem, Young Watari and a few others, including L and a second team boarded The TARDIS to help with Sora.

The first rescue team powered their way through the revived League of Evil Exes, while Xorat and Kiraxi, whom had mated after undergoing one of Maleficent's dark rituals, with the offspring scheduled to mature in a year, were held at bay while Sora, Riku and Tess burst onto the main dark ritual, just as The TARDIS arrived.

Our heroes interrupted the ritual and saved the princesses, but not before the rift to Mu was opened and Light Yagami prepared to reenter the realms of the living and create paradox that would plunge reality into chaos. But then L jumped into limbo and forced Light away from the rift, while the Keyblade Wielders sealed the rift, trapping both Light and L in Mu.

A series of demolition spells were detonated, destroying the dark castle once and for all, while our heroes fled the demolition via The TARDI, only to arrive on the dark beach where Aqua met Ansem. But then Maleficent and Gideon showed up, bringing to a head everything that has happened before. 'Nuff said, on with the show!"

**Chapter 12: The Rainbow Within**

"This is where we wound up after we defeated Xemnes," said Sora to Riku as he and the others exited The TARDIS. The disguised time machine had exited the time vortex ad our heroes exited it, expecting to be back with their friends in Memory Skyscraper. Understandably, they were disappointed.

"I know this place," said Aqua, "I've spent over ten years here, trying to find my way out and almost giving up hope of ever seeing the light again," she pointed to one spot near the tide line, "that's where I met Ansem and we agreed to wok together."

"Exactly how did we wind up here when we were supposed to be back with our friends and loved ones?" Sara asked.

"Apparently," said Aiden, "the TARDIS has a habit of going where she wants."

"That's only part of it," said the Doctor, "The TARDIS, she's alive," he affectionately patted the wooden siding of the disguised time machine, "and also, a Type 40 TARDIS requires a crew of 6 in order to fully function."

"You mean to tell me that you've been traveling though time for hundred of years without a full crew?" Nikolai asked, "are you insane?"

"Never mind that," said Tess, "what about L? he's stuck in limbo with that psycho Kira."

"He saved us all," said Nessie, "L…he sacrificed himself for all of us."

"And we're eternally grateful," said Tess, "but what of L? He's trapped in limbo forever with a madman at his throat. What could have made him decide to do that?"

"I don't know," said Riku, "but…he must have thought it was the right thing."

Just then Maleficent, Gideon, The Negotiator, Xorat and Kiraxi, the last two having been freed of the enchanted chains, appeared in front of our heroes. "It's a shame that your efforts will all be in vain!" said Maleficent.

"Oh crap!" said Sora.

"You ain't just whistling Dixie, kido," said an irate Gideon.

"Just leave it to us, great one," said Xorat to Maleficent, "we'll finish the brats once and for all!"

"I will make sure that what my predecessor started," said Kiraxi as she summoned her dark Keyblade, "she temporarily deprived Sora, Riku and Tess of their Keyblades. This time, I will destroy them forever!"

"You've got me to deal with this time, psycho-bitch!" said Aiden as he summoned his Keyblade.

"And me too!" said Kairi as she summoned her Keyblade, while Sora, Riku and Tess summoned theirs, "we'll make sure that you never hurt anyone ever again!"

"We'll help too!" said Donald as he, Goofy, Aqua, Roxas, Naminé, Reddik, Rakel, Nikolai, Katarina, Pete, Jacob, Will and Kirjava, Ranma-chan, Teddy, Scott, Ramona, Nessie, Lyra and Pan, Sara, Usagi, Violet, Victoire and Miley, all nodded in agreement and got ready to fight.

"Wait," said Riku, "Nessie, you and the other princesses should stay out of this."

"You're still weak from what that machine did to you," said Tess, "those maniacs would clean your clocks."

"I feel like I've been insulted," said Nessie.

"No, he's right," said Jacob, "you should sit this one out."

"And let you all fight for us?" Lyra asked, "I think not!"

"We're going to fight," said Sara.

"Just try and stop us," said Usagi as she pulled out her pendent that allowed her to become Sailor Moon.

"I can't do much about fighting," said Miley, "but I can cheer," she looked at her fellow Princesses of Heart, "Did ya'll know that before I became Hannah Montana I was a cheerleader?"

"No, you didn't," said Violet, "you never strike me as the cheerleader type; all perky and not very smart."

"And you didn't strike me as the superhero type when we first met," said Miley, "but we're friends after all," she glared at the vile villains, "now let's open up a crate of butt-whoop!"

"Wait," said Victoire, "maybe we should sit this one out."

"Finally, someone with some sense," said Riku.

"Are you sure about that?" Lyra asked.

"How can you not want to fight?" Violet asked Victoire.

"Because we have something more important to do," said Victoire, "more important than fighting."

"The talisman," said Nessie as she held up said item, "we still have to figure it out."

"I won't let you have the chance!" said an outraged Gideon, "give it to me, now!"

"Over my half undead body," said Nessie, she then addressed her fellow princesses, "girls, I think we need to take this somewhere else."

"You mean run away?" Violet asked.

"I mean go someplace safe until we figure out this darn thing," said Nessie as she looked at the talisman from different angles, "I can't make heads or tails of it, and everyone says I'm a genius."

"I can't figure it out either," said Lyra as she consulted the Alethiometer.

"I thought it came with instructions," said Kairi.

"It did," said Ramona, "Alegra wrote and sent them to us in her last communication."

"They were in the case when I put the talisman in it," said Scott, "and they were there when I unlocked the case."

"The instructions must have gotten lost when we gave the talisman when we gave it to Nessie," said Sora.

"Well that's just plain stupid!" snapped Nessie.

"I won't say it again!" shouted Gideon, "give me that talisman!"

"Running would seem like a good idea after all," said Sara.

"Or," said The Doctor, "you could go someplace very safe right here, someplace where nasties like Maleficent or Gideon could never bother you."

"The inside of The TARDIS," said Amy, "you'll definitely be safe in here."

"How?" Miley asked.

"Once that door's closed and locked," said Rory, "it can't be opened from the outside."

"Nothing can get through that door," said The Doctor, "not Cybermen, not Sontarans, not Daleks, not even the assembled hordes of Mongol could get in, and they all tried."

"Then what are waiting for?" Sara asked, "let's go."

"You're not going anywhere!" said Gideon, "I thought we established that already!"

"Just try and stop us!" said Nessie as she, Lyra and Pan, Sara, Violet, Miley, Usagi and Victoire went inside The TARDIS.

"Wait for us," said Reddik as he and Nikolai helped Rakel over to The TARDIS.

"If you don't mind, Sora," said Nikolai, "we'll sit this round out, for the time being."

"At least until we're sure that Rakel's going to be alright," said Katarina, "and until my hurting stops brain," she then looked really disturbed, "I'm permanent not that's hoping."

"Oh just get in here," said Rakel as she reached out towards Katarina's voice and grabbed her arm. With that the four of them walked inside The TARDIS.

"Keep them safe, Doctor," said Aiden.

"Can do, Aiden Mackenzie," said The Doctor as he, Amy and Rory went inside The TARDIS and closed the door.

* * *

><p>"There now," said The Doctor as he locked the door, then moved to the central panels, "and just for good measure," he pressed a few buttons and flipped a few switches, causing the control room to shudder for a second, "now we're safe."<p>

"What'd you do, Doctor?" Rory asked.

"I put The TARIDS slightly out of phase with the universe," said The Doctor, "they could bash their heads and powers against the door all they want, it won't do them any good."

"We're out of phase with the universe?" Nessie asked as she looked at the central control panel and column in wonder, finally having time to take things in with her immortal eyes, "and this ship," she looked at The Doctor, "the inside is in a slightly different dimension than the outside, allowing the inside to be as big as you want it to be, right?"

"My, what a brain you have in you," said an impressed The Doctor.

"I've studied a lot of advanced scientific theories on my world," said Nessie, "how did you compensate for spatial disruption? And the subject of time travel itself, aren't you worried about creating paradoxes? The Bootstrap Paradox, the Grandfather Paradox, the Predestination Paradox, the Butterfly Effect, the list of theories goes on, and that's just what's been theorized on my world."

"Is this really the time to be holding discussions on experimental theology?" Lyra asked, "sorry, I mean science."

"You're right," said Nessie, "talisman first," she looked at The Doctor, "we'll talk later," she then looked at her friends and they all sat down and began talking about The Talisman.

"It makes me wonder just _how _special they are," said Amy.

"More than you realize, Pond," said The Doctor.

* * *

><p>"Donald, Goofy," said Sora, "stand by that time machine; if anything happens to us, don't let the enemy get to it."<p>

"But Sora," said Goofy, "we want to fight with you."

"We'll smash these bozos!" said Donald.

"I know you will," said Sora, "but I need you to make sure that Nessie and the others can do what they have to do."

"It'll make us feel better if you've got our back," said Riku, "if we can't stop the enemy, you'll be the last line of defense."

"Don't forget about us," said King Mickey, "we'll make sure the princesses stay safe, and if you need us, we'll jump in and help" he looked at Pete, "right, 'Captain?'"

"You ain't my cabin boy no more," said Pete, "and don't expect me to be callin' you 'Majesty' and stuff, not yet anyway, but yeah, we'll do that."

"If it's what you want, Sora," said Donald, "then we'll hold back."

"Just make sure you kick their keisters!" said Goofy.

"Will do," said Sora as he gave his friends an assuring smile. Then he, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess glared at the enemy.

"Alright, Maleficent," said Sora as he and the others glared down the enemy, "this time we finish things, forever!" he, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess then pressed the buttons on their watches, "_Henshin_!" they shouted and their armor activated.

"That won't stop us, brats!" said Xorat.

"My predecessor defeated you all," said Kiraxi, "despite your armor!"

"We're ready for you this time!" said Sora.

"We'll see about that!" said Kiraxi. She then seemed to vanish, only to appear behind Sora and delivered a hard strike to his back. He turned around in time to block, but just barely. Kiraxi then kicked Sora in the midsection, forcing him back several paces.

Kiraxi then blocked a Strike Raid from Kairi, then countered with one of her own, her dark Keyblade hitting Kairi before she could recover her Keyblade and knocking her back.

Riku and Tess tried to flank Kiraxi, both of them moving to attack from the left and right, but she jumped away from them, then rushed in to hit them both on the back of the head, then jumped out of the way from several razor sharp spikes that Aiden had transmuted out of the ground, then ran behind Aiden and kicked him in the back.

"Pathetic," said Kiraxi, "you should just surrender and die. If you persist, you will only prolong your suffering."

"Are you kidding?" Kairi asked as she and the others got up and raised their Keyblades, "We're just getting started!"

"Mind if I join in?" Aqua asked as she summoned her Keyblade, "I'll show you what a Keyblade Master can do."

"I don't care if you're a Keyblade God," said Kiraxi, "I'll still destroy you! One on one, six on one, it doesn't matter, it'll still win!"

"You really sure about that?" Kairi asked, "as I said, we're just getting started."

"In that case," said Xorat, "I'll just have to end it that much faster." with that he started towards Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess.

"Hold it right there!" shouted Ranma-chan as she got in front of Xorat, "we've got unfinished business, you and I."

"I don't have time to deal with you, freak," said Xorat, "I'll kill you later."

"Why procrastinate?" Ranma-chan asked, "let's finish this feud before we get any older. And I told you at Dream Valley, I'm no freak!" she assumed her fighting stance, "I AM A MAN!"

"I also am a man!" said Teddy as he held his sword in one hand and his wand in the other.

"You're no man," said Gideon, "you're a half-breed monster; half wizard, half werewolf. How your parents ever got together is a mystery to me."

"My mother and father truly loved each other," said Teddy, "something a right bastard like you would never understand."

"There is no such thing as love," said Maleficent, "only an illusion that foolish individuals cling to for temporary gratification."

"I won't argue with your ideology," said Teddy, "misguided as it is, but I will say that you have to be stopped before you destroy any more lives."

"And you believe yourself to be the one to do that?" Maleficent asked, "I, whom have mastered more dark magic than any before? I whom command the powers of hell itself? Do you honestly believe that a half-breed bastard such as yourself has a chance against me?"

"Yes," said Teddy in a matter of fact tone, "I know I have a chance of stopping you. There's also a chance that I'll die in the process, but if I have to, I'd gladly die to rid existence of you. My godfather Harry knew he had to die in order to destroy Voldemort. Of course, Harry had a piece of Voldemort's soul in his head and he had to let himself be killed in order to destroy that soul piece. But Harry was then given the choice to come back to life, and he took it, knowing that he could be killed for good the next time around. I'd gladly take that chance if the same thing happens to me."

"Then you are a fool!" said Maleficent, "only those whom have mastered the necromantic arts can overcome death!"

"The only fool here is you," said Teddy grimly, "now let's finish this," he bowed, "if this is going to be a wizards duel, we might as well show respect for each other."

"Indeed," said Maleficent as she also bowed, "two individuals endowed in the ways of magic, intent on destroying each other. Yet the outcome is already predetermined."

"In a flobberworm's eye!" snapped Teddy, he then moved his wand, "_Stuppify!_" the stunning spell shot at Maleficent, whom deflected it with a slight movement of her staff. She then sent a bolt of dark lightning at Teddy, whom dodged it, then sent a leg-locker curse at Maleficent, whom blocked it again.

Maleficent then sent several green fireballs at Teddy, whom dodged them all, then Teddy shot a full-body bind spell at Maleficent, whom blocked it with her staff.

"This pathetic excuse for a battle is pointless!" said Maleficent as she and Teddy kept trading spells.

"As is my not doing anything!" said Xorat. He then looked at Ranma-chan, "let's dance!"

"Thought you'd never ask!" said Ranma-chan. With that she and Xorat rushed at each other and began trading punches and kicks so fast the normal eye couldn't follow.

"What do we do?" Will asked as he looked at first the Keyblade Wielders and Aqua fighting Kiraxi, then to Ranma-chan fighting Xorat and then Teddy dueling Maleficent.

"I don't think any of them would appreciate it if we butted in," said Jacob.

"Even Scott and Ramona are fighting," said Kirjava. Indeed, Scott and Ramona were furiously battling Gideon, whom was matching them blow for blow.

"I don't like this," said Jacob, "everyone is doing something, even them!" he looked at Donald, Goofy, Pete and King Mickey as they stood guard outside The TARDIS.

"If you are so bored," said Maleficent, "then perhaps I shall bring in some playmates for you!" she then summoned several Neo Shadows which promptly attacked Will, Kirjava and Jacob.

"You and your big mouth!" said Kirjava to Jacob as she and Will dodged a Neo Shadow, then she bit the leg of it, while Will stabbed it in the head.

"You know," said Jacob as he bashed one Neo Shadow into oblivion with his power pole, "I've just about had enough with these things. As soon as this whole mess is done, we're going home; me, Nessie, her family and my pack, and we're never coming back!"

"I'm partial to agree!" said Will.

"The only place you're going is straight to hell!" shouted Gideon, only to then be punched in the face by Scott.

"Oh shut up and fight!" said Scott.

"Gladly!" said Gideon as he swung his sword at Scott, only to be blocked by Ramona.

"We should have made sure, Gideon," said Ramona, "when you died, we should have made sure that you couldn't come back!"

"Well I'm back, baby," said Gideon, "and I'm badder than ever!"

All of this was passing Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess unaware, for they were focusing all their attention on Kiraxi, for even with Aqua's help, the vile biot was proving to be far stronger than them.

This was proven true when Kiraxi delivered a massive Keyblade strike that struck Sora in the head. His helmet absorbed the worse of the blow, but the force of the attack was enough to knock him to the ground and leave him senseless for several seconds.

As he struggled to pull himself together and get back up, a strange thing happened to Sora; he thought he heard someone calling his name. As his head cleared, he did hear a voice calling his name, and that voice belonged to someone very familiar.

"Sora, it's me!" said the voice of Young Watari.

"How are you…?" Sora asked, still confused from the blow to his head.

"I've tapped into your suit's communications feature," said Young Watari, "remember? I can do that."

"Oh, right," said Sora.

"Listen, Sora," said Young Watari, "the others know exactly where you are, but it'll be several minutes before we get to you."

"That's too bad," said Sora, 'we're kinda in a lot of trouble right now."

"I know," said Young Watari, "A few minutes ago, Alice had a vision of you fighting Maleficent, Gideon, Xorat and Kiraxi. But you and your friends still have a chance; Maleficent's staff."

"Her staff?" Sora asked.

"It's the focal point of her powers. Before he went with The Doctor to help you, L gave me a flash drive containing all his research on Maleficent, and I mean all of it. But he told be about a specific file concerning her staff. Without it she barely has half her dark powers, destroy it and you and your friends will have the advantage."

"What about Gideon?" Sora asked, "And Xorat and Kiraxi?"

"I'm afraid you're on your own with them," said Young Watari.

"Lucky us," said Sora. He then had to roll out of the way of a black fireball that Kiraxi shot at him.

"One more thing," said Young Watari.

"I'm kinda busy right now," said Sora as he dodged another black fireball.

"This is the really important part," said Young Watari, "Apparently Scott and Ramona were right to keep the talisman away from you. The seven princesses of heart are indeed the only ones who can safely use the talisman."

"They're trying to figure out how to use it," said Sora, "any ideas on how to crack the code for them?"

"Sorry," said Young Watari, "that's as far as L got in his research. But the princesses can figure out how to use the talisman, they just need time. The others will be there to help you soon, Sora, but no matter what, the princesses must be given time."

"We'll do our best," said Sora as he dodged another fireball. "Oh, Young Watari, about L…he…"

"I know," said Young Watari, "he told me that it might come to this in order to stop Light Yagami. He made his choice."

"And you're okay with it?" Sora asked.

"He's L," said Young Watari, "nothing anyone could have said or done would have changed his mind."

"Hang on a second," said Sora as he dodged another black fireball, "I'm gonna have to stop talking for a while."

"I understand," said Young Watari, "we'll talk later."

"This is growing tedious," said Kiraxi, "I thought wiping the floor with you Keyblade brats would be more gratifying. I was wrong, so…" she then focused her dark power and her Keybalde erupted into black flames, "I'll just destroy your Keyblades, permanently this time, and then cut your heads off."

"No!" said Roxas as he appeared out of nowhere with both Keyblades out, "I won't let you!"

"Where've you been?" Aiden asked.

"Waiting for the right time to attack," said Naminé as she appeared, finishing a drawing in her sketchbook, "and the time is now!" she finished her drawing, which turned out to be a very detailed sketch of Kiraxi.

All of a sudden Kiraxi stopped moving and stood there, lost in thought, or rather, her memory was lost.

"I did it," said Naminé as she held her sketchbook close to her heart, "I made her forget everything."

"You mean there's nothing in that evil little head of hers?" Tess asked as she cautiously stepped closer to the seemingly catatonic Kiraxi.

But then Kiraxi blinked and her expression changed from blank confusion to one of utmost hate and rage, "twerps!" she shouted and unleashed a massive wave of black fire that knocked Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Aqua, Roxas and Naminé down, while also setting Naminé's sketchbook alight.

"Still think you can beat me?" Kiraxi asked as she reignited her dark Keyblade and stalked over to Sora, "well let me tell you something, loser, you never stood a chance!" she raised her burning Keyblade and prepared to deliver a killing blow.

But then Aqua got up and stood between Kiraxi and Sora, bringing her Keyblade to bare to block the burning weapon.

"Get out of the way, old timer!" snapped Kiraxi as she poured more of her dark power into her burning Keyblade, but Aqua channeled her power into her Keyblade, generating a blue energy aura that endured the black flames.

"You can't resist me!" shouted Kiraxi as she poured even more power into her burning Keyblade, "I'll break your Keyblade, and then I'll break you!"

"There's two things wrong with that," said Aqua as she channeled more of her power into her Keyblade, increasing the bright blue glow, "one, I'm no old timer! Technically, I'm not even 30, in real time that is." She then brought her Keyblade up, forcing Kiraxi's Keyblade back a few inches, but the vile biot forced Aqua to stop, leaving them at an impasse.

"And what's the second thing?" Kiraxi asked.

"The second thing is that in another language, my name means water," said the Keyblade Master, "and water always trumps fire!" She then sent a pulse of magic through her Keyblade, a pulse of magic that was based on a Blizzard spell that passed from her Keyblade into Kiraxi's that extinguished the black flames.

Kiraxi, shocked by the sudden loss of black flames on her Keyblade, jumped away from Aqua. She was then shocked even further when she saw her Keyblade beginning to freeze over.

"What…what is this?" Kiraxi exclaimed as her Keyblade completely froze over, then the ice spread to her hands. She managed to get her left hand free, before it completely froze solid, but her right hand was frozen to the handle of her Keyblade. The Blizzard magic then traveled up her forearm towards her shoulder.

"What did you do?" Riku asked as he and the others got up.

"It's one of the many powers a Keyblade Master can draw upon," said Aqua in an exhausted tone, "we can store up energy to be used later. I've been saving up my power for years, and used it all in that one spell," she sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow, "it's powerful, and it seriously takes it out of you," she then looked serious, "but it's worth it."

Everyone, including the others fighting; Scott, Ramona and Gideon, Ranma-chan and Xorat, Teddy and Maleficent, Will, Kirjava and Jacob, whom had just finished slaying the summoned Heartless, the ones guarding The TARDIS, Donald, Goofy, Pete and King Mickey, they all watched as Kiraxi was being frozen alive.

The freezing magic had spread completely up her right arm and down into her torso on the right side, freezing her right leg to the ground and then spreading throughout the rest of her body.

"Stop this!" shouted Kiraxi in a terrified tone, her face twisted with horror, "it's so cold! I can't stand the cold! Help me! Someone help me, please!"

"Not on your life, crazy lady!" shouted Pete.

"You reap as you sow, Kiraxi," said Kairi, "part of me wants to help you, but the rest of me says otherwise and let you get what you deserve."

"Same with me," said Sora, "later on I'll probably feel sorry about not helping you, but not right now."

"Great one!" shouted Kiraxi as the freezing magic covered nearly all of her body. Only her head and heart remained unfrozen, "Maleficent! Help me!"

"Why?" Maleficent asked, "you've served your purpose."

"Xorat!" shouted Kiraxi, "please!"

"There's nothing I can do," said Xorat, "if the mistress doesn't will it, then the it is simply not done."

"Help me," said Kiraxi in a weak voice as the freezing magic completely covered her body, leaving her frozen solid.

"What now?" Tess asked.

"I'll tell you what," said Aiden as he aimed his Keyblade at the frozen Kiraxi, "we destroy the crazy bitch!" he shot a bolt of Alchemic energy at Kiraxi that completely shattered her into countless small chunks of frozen meat, while her Keyblade fell to the ground and began to rust into a worthless form of scrap metal.

"That's one evil jerk down," said Sora.

"You still have me!" shouted Xorat, "great one!"

"Destroy them all!" shouted Maleficent.

"Gladly," said Xorat as he cracked his knuckles.

"We're not done yet," said Ranma-chan, "Pantyhose Taro."

"I don't answer to that name anymore," said Xorat.

"Oh yes it is," said a grinning Ranma-chan, "I may hate Happosai and his guts, but I agree with him this one time; a name given at birth is a name for life."

"Lives change, freak!" snapped Xorat, "I am no longer that cursed human with a pathetic name! I am better than that weakling! I am stronger! I am invincible! I am Xorat!"

"No," said Ranma-chan in a cold, disapproving, "you're Pantyhose Taro, and that's who you'll be until the day you die."

At that Xorat shouted in rage and rushed blindly at Ranma-chan, whom dodged his attack and moved away, "what's the matter?" she asked, "the Pantyhose Taro I knew wouldn't be so slow!"

Still shouting in rage, Xorat tried to grab Ranma-chan and beat her to a pulp, but she kept dodging and moving away.

"What's she doing?" Jacob asked, "she's just egging him on!"

"I know what she's doing," said Riku, "Ranma used this same move on Akane during the tournament."

"Which means we need to take cover somewhere," said Kairi.

"I still don't get it," said Jacob, "she's just moving away from him in…a spiral."

"She's forcing him to follow her in a spiral pattern," said Will, "and…I can sense their ki. She's keeping her cool while fanning his rage, making it more intense, and their ki is leaving a trail along the spiral path…I know what they're doing! We do need to take cover!"

"Where?" Aiden asked, "there's nothing around us but empty beach and water!"

"There's The TARDIS!" said Kairi, 'if it's as indestructible as The Doctor says it is, then we'll all be safe behind it!" With that she, Riku, Sora, Tess, Aiden, Roxas, Naminé, Will and Kirjava, Teddy, Jacob, Aqua, Scott, Ramona, King Mickey, Pete, Donald and Goofy, all got behind The TARDIS.

"I still don't get it," said Jacob, "what' so bad about what Ranma's doing?"

"He's setting Xorat up for a massive attack," said Riku.

"It's awesome," said Sora, "but we should keep our heads down."

"Do something!" said an annoyed Gideon to Maleficent, "your Nobody is about to get his ass handed to him on a silver plate!"

"Again, why should I?" Maleficent asked, "Xorat, like Kiraxi, has served his purpose. In due time I shall have my legion of dark commanders, and I can create as many as I wish once the first batch is complete, so there is no further need for the originals.."

"How vicious of you," said Gideon, "once something is no longer needed, you throw it away. How absolutely evil of you," he smiled viciously, "I wish we had gotten along better. If we'd been more equal partners…"

"What's done is done," said Maleficent as she projected a protective shield around herself, "and what is to come shall have no effect on me."

"Oh great," said an annoyed Gideon, "you've got your shield up, but what's to protect me from the big whammy that's coming?"

"For that, I fear," said Maleficent as she gave Gideon a vicious smile, "you are on your own."

"Again, how vicious of you," said Gideon.

By now Ranma-chan had forced Xorat almost to the center of the spiral. She had been keeping her cool, while Xorat was so hot and bothered it was a miracle he could see straight.

But then they reached the middle of the spiral, "take this!" shouted Ranma-chan as she suddenly turned around and brought up a devastating uppercut, "_Hyru Shoten Ha_!" and created a massive whirlwind that sent Xorat flying into the air.

"Oh crap!" said Gideon as the tornado-force wind came at him and sent him flying towards the water, in which he landed with a large splash, while Maleficent's shield completely protected her.

The blast of tornado-forced wind slammed into The TARDIS, shaking the blue box a bit and ruffling the feathers of everyone taking cover behind it, but they were otherwise unharmed.

* * *

><p>Inside The TARDIS, things were a bit different. Nessie and her fellow Princesses were deep in trying to figure out the talisman, while Reddik, Nikolai and Katarina were sitting with Rakel, and The Doctor, Amy and Rory were standing around the central panel, when the whole ship shook slightly.<p>

"What was that?" a startled and slightly afraid Rakel asked, "earthquake?"

"More like a tornado," said The Doctor as he looked at the data on the main screen, "a ki-based tornado to be exact, one that affected more than normal space and time."

"Will uses ki," said Lyra, "but…so does Ranma, that's what Sora and the others told me."

"It's Ranma, alright," said Katarina as she smiled, "and I think she just did something awesome."

"Awesome enough to shake up a time ship that's slightly out of phase with the real world?" Amy asked.

"Yep," said Katarina, "awesome."

* * *

><p>But Ranma-chan wasn't done yet. She then jumped up and met with Xorat just as he started falling to the ground. Ranma-chan then maneuvered herself so she was falling above Xorat and began punching and kicking him as hard as she could, causing massive amounts of damage.<p>

Just before they hit the ground, Ranma-chan jumped off of Xorat's body and landed lightly on her feet, while Xorat slammed into the ground.

"And I'm spent," said Ranma-chan in an exhausted tone as she collapsed to the ground. Sora and the others ran from behind The TARDIS to her and helped Ranma-chan up.

"That was incredible," said Jacob, "how'd you…"

"Aqua isn't the only one who can store up energy for later use," said Ranma-chan, "I learned the technique from a book The Mochick had, 'course he had to look all over for it."

"He forgot where he put the book," said Sora.

"Exactly," said Ranma-chan, "anyway, the technique works, but I won't be able to fight for a while. But enough about me, what about the ex-nylon freak?"

"I think he's had it," said Riku. Everyone looked at Xorat, whose body was beginning to dissolve into black smoke.

"So," gasped Xorat, "this is how it ends," he struggled to stand but barely managed to sit up, "and strangely enough, I'm okay with it. I feel…relieved."

"Your approaching destruction has severed your loyalty to me," said Maleficent, "it matters not. You've served your purpose. You were a fine specimen, Xorat, but now we must part ways."

"Yeah, it's the end alright," said Xorat. He then smiled viciously, "and since I'm no longer your lapdog, I have no qualm about spilling some of your secrets to your enemies," he looked at Sora and the others, "that's one reason why she needed me, and Kiraxi. Maleficent was unhappy with Ursula, Jaffar, Hades and all those other villains. They wouldn't be the obedient commanders she's been wanting for ages, so she tried to get Nikolai and Katarina to mate so their kids would be Maleficent's loyal minions."

"So that's why you agreed to our wedding," said Nikolai as he and Katarina exited The TARDIS, "and now that I'm thinking about it, that's why you brought us Hakonians in as your enforcers. You sought to enslave us; me, Katarina, Reddik, Rakel, Ulrik, Erika and Konrad; you were manipulating us from the beginning!"

"And you were going to enslave our kids," said an outraged Katarina, "I ought to bash your brains in, bitch!"

"There's more," said Xorat, "since you Hakonians kept messing up so much, Maleficent looked elsewhere for her perfect commanders. She made me and Kiraxi produce this magic energy mass that's going to grow into these really powerful warriors that'll obey her every command. They'll be ready to be born, or hatched or whatever, in a year. Even if you heroes win today, you've still got to deal with those minions that are coming."

"We'll be ready for them," said Sora, "thanks for the warning."

"I didn't do it for you," said Xorat, "I did it for me," he then looked at Ranma-chan, "if you ever see my idiot godfather, tell him that I reject the name Pantyhose Taro with my last breath; I am Xorat, now and forever, and I'll be waiting for him, in hell!" with that his body completely dissolved into black smoke.

"And that's that," said Riku. He then looked at Maleficent, "we'll take you down for good this time, then we'll find where you sent that protomass or whatever it was and destroy it before they become your dark commanders."

"You'll never discover the location," said Maleficent, "and it is you fools whom shall be taken down!" she then sent out a storm of dark lightning bolts at our heroes.

"_Protego Maximum_!" shouted Teddy as he cast a shield charm, protecting Sora and the others from Maleficent's dark magic.

"You insolent half breed," said Maleficent, "you dare stand in my way."

"I'm only continuing our duel," said Teddy as he raised his wand.

"If you wish to die so badly," said Maleficent, "I'll be happy to oblige!" she then shot massive bolt of dark lightning at Teddy.

"_Expelliarmus_!" shouted Teddy as he shot a stream of red magic out of his wand. His magic met Maleficent's and the two magic beams struggled to overpower each other.

"Fall!" shouted Maleficent as she poured more of her dark power into her spell, increasing the force of the dark lightning and pushing Teddy's spell back towards his wand. "Fall, damn you! Fall!"

"Never!" shouted Teddy as he held his wand in both hands, giving everything he had in order to push Maleficent's dark lightning away from him, but his spell was losing ground, bit by bit, inch by inch.

"We have to do something!" shouted Sora.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do!" said Riku. He then shot a beam of his Dark Aura at Maleficent, but the beam was stopped by Maleficent's personal shield.

"It's useless to persist!" shouted Maleficent.

"It's never useless!" shouted Sora as he, Riku, Kairi, Tess and Aiden threw their Keyblades at Maleficent, only to be stopped by Maleficent's shield.

* * *

><p>"This bad," said Reddik as he looked at the view screen on the central control panel and saw the battle raging outside, "Maleficent's too powerful!"<p>

"What can we do?" Katarina asked as she and Nikolai ran back inside to see how things were going with Nessie and the princesses and on Rakel's condition.

"Nothing," said Nikolai in a dismayed tone, "her magic is too strong, even if we all attack together. I don't understand, all our data on Maleficent says she shouldn't have this level of power. How is she so strong?"

"She has a copy of Hecate's book," said Lyra as she stood up from the other princesses, "specifically the part covering all dark magic. She stole it from Athena's library."

"That would explain a lot," said Reddik, "but it doesn't solve our problem."

"Well, I'm not going to sit around and do nothing," said Rakel as she stood up, "I'm going out to fight."

"The hell you are!" exclaimed Reddik, "you can't see!"

"I can see just fine," said Rakel, "I guess I wasn't hurt as much as I thought."

"You're hurt alright," said The Doctor after scanning Rakel with his Sonic Screwdriver, "your retinas, corneas and optic nerves, all frazzled. However," he did another scan of Rakel's head, specifically her brain, "I am picking up elevated levels of psionic energy in your cerebral cortex and other areas of your brain."

"I don't get it," said Katarina, "Rakel's eyes are all kaflooby, but how can she see us?"

"Second sight," said Nikolai as he began to understand the situation, "when Rakel used so much of her mental powers, it opened up areas of her mind that she hasn't been using, like exercising muscles to grow stronger. She can now see with her mind, and heart."

"Lose one sense to gain another," Nessie.

"Aiden would say it's Equivalent Exchange," said Lyra.

"Even if Rakel can see again and has new powers," said Reddik, "she's still in no condition to fight."

"Just try and stop me," said Rakel confidently. She then walked past Reddik, Nikolai, The Doctor, Amy and Rory, heading towards the door of The TARDIS.

"Shouldn't we try to stop her?" Amy asked.

"Not a good idea," said The Doctor, "I've got a hunch that she's doing exactly what she's supposed to do."

* * *

><p>Rakel exited the door and walked past Sora and the others.<p>

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Kairi asked.

"Never mind that," said Riku, "how can she see?"

"My eyes are closed and open at the same time now," said a grinning Rakel.

"It is second sight," said Nikolai as he, Reddik and Katarina exited The TARDIS. "she lost her normal sight, but now she sees better than before."

"Equivalent Exchange," said Aiden.

"Exactly," said Katarina.

Rakel then looked at the dueling magic users. By now Maleficent's dark lightning had almost reached Teddy's wand. He was holding on with every ounce of his strength, but Maleficent was too powerful.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," said Rakel. She then shouted, "Hey! Maleficent!"

This caught Maleficent's attention, "Traitorous Hakonian!" she shouted as she glared at Rakel.

"My people never officially told you that we quit being your slaves," said Rakel, "so consider this our two-weeks notice!" Her eyes then glowed bright orange and the droning of her Evil Eye could be heard.

At that Maleficent gasped in shock as The Evil Eye was put on her, breaking her concentration.

This gave Teddy the opening he needed to overpower Maleficent's dark lightning and his disarming spell forced her staff out of her hands and flying into the air.

"Destroy it!" shouted Sora, "smash the staff!"

"I got it!" shouted Katarina as she looked up and waited for the staff to start falling to the ground.

But then Gideon jumped into the area and grabbed the staff before it fell. He then landed and laughed triumphantly, "now who's got the power!" he shouted.

"Give that to me, you despicable worm!" snapped Maleficent.

"Are you kidding?" Gideon asked, "after how you treated me like crap? I think not! And don't even try it, Scott and Ramona!" he then zapped Scott and Ramona, whom had been trying to sneak up on him from behind.

"If Lord Kira can't rule the realms, then I will!" shouted Gideon, "I'll turn this universe and everything else upside down and inside out! I'll…" but that's as far as he got, for Tess, whom had been invisible, appeared behind him and struck Gideon on the back of the head with her Keyblade, knocking him unconscious, while the staff clattered to the ground.

"Give that to me, child!" said Maleficent, "if you know what's good for you, you'll return to me what's mine!"

"Lady, I've had just about enough of you," said Tess as she picked up the staff. She then raised the staff up and slammed the head to the ground, smashing the green orb at the top to pieces. Tess then brought the body of the staff down on her knee, breaking it in half.

"No!" shouted Maleficent, "you'll pay for that!"

"Put it on my tab," said Tess as she crushed the Uridium ring on the staff into powder.

"And that's that," said Riku, "it's over, Maleficent, you're beaten."

"Never!" shouted Maleficent, "I will not allow myself to be defeated by you brats, not now, not ever!"

By then Gideon had regained consciousness, "I'm not finished either!"

"Don't you guys get it yet?" Aiden asked, "nothing you do can beat us! You're finished, permanently!"

"It ain't over till it's over!" said Gideon.

Just then Sora and the others felt a sudden chill, as if something had walked over their graves. They then saw a two dimensional, pitch black mass drifting over the sands, like a living shadow. The mass stopped a few yards from our heroes and rose up, taking on the form of a demonic humanoid with horns, wings and glowing yellow eyes.

"I agree," said the demonic shadow in a voice that reverberated with evil, "it's far from over."

* * *

><p>Just then a deep, resonating church bell note could be heard throughout The TARDIS control room, startling the seven princesses out of their discussion of the talisman<p>

"What is that?" Rory asked as the church bell rang out again, "Doctor, what is it?"

"The Cloister Bell," said a visibly nervous Doctor, "it means that something terrible is about to happen, something that not even The TARDIS could survive."

"What could possibly harm The TARDIS?" Nessie asked.

"I can guess," said the Doctor as he activated the external view screen, showing our heroes facing the demonic shadow, "I guessed right."

"It's that thing that took control of Dunkan!" said Amy, "it followed us from the past!"

"Or maybe it's been here all along," said Rory.

* * *

><p>"Who…what are you?" Sora asked.<p>

"Oh, you don't remember me, Sora?" the shadow asked, "I'm shocked. Of course, it was a while ago that we fought on End of The World"

"I know you," said Aiden in a nervous and angry tone, "as if I'll ever forget what happened on Hakonian Prime, Chernabog."

"Oh, yes, it is you, Aiden Mackenzie," said the shadow, Chernabog, "I'm surprised that you're still involved in this matter. I thought that you would have learned not to meddle," he then looked at The TARDIS, "and The Doctor is here as well. But he won't be around for much longer. The Silence will see to that in due tome."

"What's the Silence?" Reddik asked.

"That's my dirty little secret," said Chernabog. He the looked at Sora, "so, do you remember me now?"

"Yeah, I do," said Sora, "you're shorter than you were when we fought."

"That was merely my shadow," said Chernabog, "as is this construct you're speaking with right now. The real me is in a place that you'll never find in a thousand lifetimes. But that is neither here nor there," he then looked at Gideon, "and you, I'm gravely disappointed in you, Mr. Graves. You failed to bring Kira into reality. You were to be the instrument that would bring about unparallel chaos the likes of which existence has never seen before. It would have been an exquisite feast, but I have other plans, none as delectable, but plans nonetheless."

"You've been manipulating me," said an outraged Gideon, "all this time, you've been using me like a tool!"

"_Now _he believes it!" said an exasperated Kairi.

"And now for you, my dear Maleficent,' said Chernabog, "I trust that you haven't forgotten about me."

"As if I could forget," said Maleficent in an all too cheerful tone, as if she really was happy to see the demonic shadow, "you were the one who convinced me to steal Hecate's book and make it's dark half my own."

"So you're the one responsible for Maleficent's evil!" snapped Riku.

"And I was the one who turned Master Xehanort to the darkness," said Chernabog, "it's amazing what a few carefully chosen words whispered into an ear can do to a person's heart. I was there, back at the beginning on Zumakalis and made those light-loving idiots covet their light and brought darkness into their hearts."

"How can that be?" Kairi asked, "there wasn't any darkness before the people began fighting over the light."

"I've existed since before the birth of this universe," said Chernabog, "I was created out of the primal darkness. I am chaos and evil given form and thought. I am the true overlord of darkness."

"And you're responsible for everything that's happened," said Aqua as she stood up, "for all the pain and misery, all the hate, all the despair, all the deaths. It's all your fault!"

"Guilty as charged," said Chernabog. "And now settle this little account here, by destroying you interlopers before you ruin any more of my plans."

"So you want to fight us?" Sora asked, "bring it! My friends and I beat you before, we can do it again!"

"Ah, now there is the problem," said Chernabog, "what you defeated was my shadow, much like this construct you are speaking to, only bigger. But I created this shadow to serve a different purpose, that of having others fight for me."

"And who are you going to get to fight for you?" Gideon asked.

"You of course," said Chernabog, he then looked at Maleficent, "and you as well, my dear one, if you'll permit it that is?"

"Excuse me!" exclaimed Gideon, "I'll never fight for you!"

"Nor will I," said Maleficent, "not without due reason that is."

"It's quite simple actually," said Chernabog. He pointed at Gideon, "that one belonged to me from the moment he was rejected by a certain girl who likes to die her hair, a girl whom has power over subspace."

"What's Ramona got to do with this?" Scott asked.

"All I did was break up with Gideon," said Ramona.

"And it devastated him," said Chernabog, "sure, he went on with his life, albeit with a more sinister objective in life, but his heart was in the darkness. When he obtained, or rather stole, the mind control technology that he used to enthrall you to him, he was mine. I've allowed him free rein to accomplish his true mission in life, to release Kira, but now that that task has failed, and it will take far too long to bring about the circumstances to release him again, the only thing Gideon is worth for now is to murder you interlopers."

"And what of me?" Maleficent asked, "why should I fight for you?"

"Because it's in your best interest to fight for me," said Chernabog, "and to receive my power. It is within my ability to enhance your powers beyond anything you've experienced before."

"Go on," said Maleficent in an intrigued tone.

"I could explain further," said Chernabog, "or, I can show you!" before everyone's eyes, a black mass of dark energy shot out of the demonic shadow and wrapped itself around Gideon before he had a chance to react. He shouted in fear and agony as the dark energy was absorbed into his body.

"What are you doing to him?" Sora asked.

"He's possessing Gideon," said Aiden, "I've seen it before!"

"Oh, it's more than possession," said Chernabog, "it's transformation!"

Everyone then saw that the dark energy was completely inside Gideon and he began to mutate. His eyes then turned black and his body began to change. He grew five feet taller and his muscle mass doubled. Spikes erupted out of his arms and his hands grew six inch talons.

"This is only a sample of what my power can do," said Chernabog, "he will obey my every command. Sit!" at that the mutated Gideon sat down.

"Impressive," said Maleficent, "will I experience this transformation?"

"It's depends on the individual," said Chernabog, "all I can say is that you'll become more powerful than before, but because I like you, I'll ensure that you retain your mind."

"Don't do it!" shouted Riku, "he's just trying to manipulate you!"

"He'll take control your mind and make you his slave!" said Aiden.

"As if I'll be the slave of anyone," said Maleficent, "besides, I've ensured my survival."

"Your other lives," said Chernabog, "they will not be affected by the outcome of this battle. Now, will you accept my power?"

"Don't!" shouted Sora.

"I will not listen to a meddling child!" snapped Maleficent. She looked at Chernabog, "I accept your power!"

"Then embrace it!" shouted Chernabog, "and be transformed!" he then shot a mass of dark energy at Maleficent, which she accepted with open arms.

"Yes!" she exclaimed as the dark energy was absorbed into her body, "I embrace the power!" when the dark energy was fully absorbed into her, her eyes turned black and she glared at Sora and the others, "fools! You think your precious light shall save you! Now witness the power greater than hell! The power of darkness!"

With a flash of green flames, Maleficent assumed her dragon form, but the transformation was only just beginning. The dragon doubled in size, growing an additional four legs and two heads. From the back of the dragon emerged four flesh masses that crackled with dark purple lightning.

"Now do you understand, Sora?" Chernabog asked, "the power of darkness is infinite!"

"So's the power of light!" shouted Sora.

"We shall see," said Chernabog. He then looked at the mutated Gideon and Maleficent, "destroy them!"

Bellowing in rage, the mutated Gideon charged at Sora and the others. They boldly stood their ground, but the mutated Gideon, driven by pure rage and dark magic, tore through them like a knife through butter. He would swat our heroes aside with his massive, spiked arms like flies before they could counterattack.

Then the mutated dragon that was Maleficent attacked. She shot triple blasts of green fire from her heads, while the flesh masses on her back would discharge purple lightning left and right.

This horrific onslaught from the mutated villains nearly overwhelmed Sora and the others. Riku, Aiden and Tess were swatted aside by Gideon, whom then grabbed Will and threw him up into the air, then smashed him to the ground before he landed.

Maleficent then zapped Teddy and Jacob with dark lightning, then blasted Donald and Goofy. Goofy partially blocked the green fire with his shield, but enough got past the shield to severely singe the both of them.

King Mickey jumped up with his Keyblade out, aiming to strike one of the heads, but the mutated dragon then spun around, swatting The King out of the air with her tail.

**"Insolent little pest!" **shouted the three dragons heads, all using Maleficent's voice.

"You can still talk?" Sora asked.

"I told you that she would retain her mind," said Chernabog.

"**And I shall use it!" **said the mutated Maleficent, **"to destroy you, Sora! You and your insufferable friends have stood in my way for the last time! Now you shall know the price of your meddling!"** with that she stalked towards Sora.

"Come and get me!" shouted Sora as he raised his Keyblade and shot a Blizzard spell at her. The mutated dragon shrugged the spell off like it was a small snowball, then retaliated by blasting three large fireballs at him.

Sora then jumped out of the way of the massive fireballs from , but then another fireball hit him in the side and knocked him to the ground. He rolled out of the way of the third dragon head, only to have to scrabble to his feat and run for it as the mutated Maleficent rushed at him, all three heads snapping at him like he was a morsel to be devoured.

Sora ran as hard as he could, barely keeping a few paces in front of the mutated dragon. But then Sora tripped on a rock and landed on his face. He tried to get up, but froze as he saw the mutated dragon one step away from being in range for the middle head to sink its teeth into him.

"Sora!" shouted Kairi, but the mutated Gideon blocked her way. The giant villain roared in rage, recognizing Kairi, his hatred of the girl who defied him so many times fueling his rage and rushed at her, knocking her to the ground with a devastating punch. Kairi's armor absorbed the worst of the blow but she was momentarily stunned. Unable to move, Kairi was helpless as Gideon stalked towards her.

"Kairi!" shouted Sora as the dragon took the step that would allow her to eat him alive.

"THE WORLD!"

With a flash the entire area reversed colors, like a photo negative, then returned to normal color, and everyone was frozen in mid-action, frozen in time.

From the other side of one of the dunes walked Dio Brando. He stopped at the top of the dune and looked at the battle, seeing the heroes wither fighting the mutated Gideon or sprawled across the sand, some still unable to move, others beginning to recover.

Dio Brando grunted with contempt and he walked towards the battle, heading directly for Sora and the mutated Maleficent.

He paused in front of the time-frozen Sora and glared down at him, "I don't know why Xehanort wants you alive, kiddo," he said, "to me, you're just a pathetic, wet behind the ears brat, and a boring one at that. I could just let you be eaten by the dragon" He then pulled out a long knife with an edge that could cut through several inches of glass, "I could also slit your throat. It'd be easy," he stood next to Sora and placed the blade at Sora's neck, "like a hot knife through butter."

Dio Brando then sighed and stepped away from Sora without so much as a scratch on his neck, "then again, I did give my word to Xehanort that I would follow his instructions to the letter." he walked over to the dragon and stopped next to the front right leg, "and I always keep my promises, when it suits me, and right now it does," he then sliced the dragon leg, cutting through to the bone and severing muscle and tendons.

"That should be enough to turn the tide here," said Dio Brando, "if it's not, well, that's your problem." He then walked off the battlefield towards the dunes, pausing at the top and looked back, "enjoy this reprieve, kiddo, 'cause this is the only favor I'll ever do for you." He then turned his back on the battlefield and with a wave of his hand, time resumed.

The mutated Maleficent put her weight on the sliced leg and it collapsed out from her, spurting blood from the bone-deep cut. She then lost balance and fell to the ground, roaring in agony, the middle head collapsing an inch from Sora. He backed away as the mutated dragon thrashed about in pain.

"Sora!" shouted Kairi as she dodged a claw swipe from the mutated Gideon and she ran over to Sora, "what…what happened?"

"I don't know," said Sora, "something hurt Maleficent and it wasn't me."

By then Aiden was back on his feet, "well I'm not one to let an opportunity let lose my fingers!" he said as he aimed his Keyblade at the mutated dragon and transmuted the ground under her into spikes, impaling two of her legs and through her lower torso. The three dragon heads bellowed in agony as she struggled to free herself.

* * *

><p>"Did anyone else feel that?" The Doctor asked as he watched events on the display screen, "that feeling of time dragging out for that it should have."<p>

"I did feel something," said Nessie, "like a split second suspending in the air. But what caused it?"

"I could guess," said The Doctor, "but it's nothing really that important right now. Hw's it going with that talisman?"

"Ask us again when we've made some progress," said Sara.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Jacob and Teddy were back on their feet as well. Jacob had phased into his wolf form and Teddy morphed into his werewolf mode and the two of them were going primal on the mutated Gideon, ripping into him with their teeth and claws, while Will ran in and stabbed Gideon in the left leg.<p>

But the two mutated villains were still able to fight. Maleficent freed herself from the spikes and shot three bolts of dark lighting at Aiden. He deflected the worst of the blast with his Keyblade but was knocked off his feet again.

Gideon shook off Jacob and Teddy, then tried to grab Will, whom dodged the mutated villain, only to be kicked by Gideon's unhurt leg.

"Can you not see that resistance is futile?" Chernabog asked, "you cannot defeat my creations!"

"Oh yes we can!" shouted Ranma-chan as she brought her hands together and charged up her ki, focusing on her inner confidence as the energy formed a blue sphere in her hands, "Take this; _Moko Takabisha_!" she then shot the ki sphere at Gideon, hitting the mutated villain in the head and destroying the creatures' left eye. Gideon roared in agony and clutched at his ruined eye.

"That thing isn't invincible!" shouted Ranma-chan "and neither is that dragon thing!"

"I agree!" said Aiden as he pressed his wrists, "alright, Maleficent, try this on for size!" he then transmuted the air around the mutated dragon into a large glass sphere, effectively trapping her.

"That's phase 1," said Aiden, "now for phase 2!" he then transmuted the air inside the sphere into a combustible gas, "and now for phase 3!" he then set a spark inside the glass sphere and it ignited, engulfing Maleficent in flame and shattering the glass. When the blast and ensuing smoke cleared, Maleficent was still standing but was severely burned all over.

"We're wearing them down!" shouted Sora, "keep it up, everyone, we can do this!"

"I beg to differ!" said Chernabog, "you've underestimated what I can do."

"We've seen what you can do," said Kairi, "and we're beating it!"

"Then I'll just have to properly educate you all!" shouted Chernabog. He then shot out two more streams of dark energy at the wounded mutated villains. The shadow masses enfolded around Gideon and Maleficent and was absorbed into their bodies, triggering a second mutation in both of them.

Gideon grew another two meters taller and increased his muscle mass by 50 percent. He sprouted four more arms, two of which burned with Fire magic, the second pair crackled with Thunder magic and the original arms glistened with Blizzard magic.. He also grew a second pair of eyes, while all four glowed with dark red energy.

As for Maleficent she grew bigger by 10 meters in length and height. All her claws could now shoot dark lightning and her wings were much bigger, capable of generating tremendous wind pressure, and her tail glowed with dark purple energy.

"As I said," smirked Chernabog, "resistance is futile!"

* * *

><p>Just then Harry, Max, Jake and the other heroes crested the head of one of the dunes, seeing Sora and the others fighting the two mutated villains.<p>

"Looks like we made it just in time," said one of the supers.

"Don't count your eggs before they're fried," said Jake, "Miley taught me that one," he then held up his System Box crystal, "TEK-SETTER!" with a blinding blue flash he was transformed, _"Tekkaman Star!" _he shouted. He then activated his power jets and few into the air, then shifted to his angular mode for a direct attack.

"_Crash Interlude!" _he shouted and shot straight at Gideon, tackling the mutated villain to the ground. Max, Mr. Incredible and several supers and meta humans with enhanced strength ran down and grabbed Gideon, but the mutated villain shook them off like ants and got up. But then the supers and meta humans all rushed at Gideon, trying to force him back to the ground.

Meanwhile, the wizards had encircled Maleficent and were blasting the mutated dragon with stunning spells, while the Sailor Senshi followed up by blasting Maleficent with their signature moves.

"Are you guys alright?" Hayner asked as he, Pence and Olette ran up to Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess.

"Well, aside preventing the end of existence as we know it, only to end up facing the ultimate of ultimate evils," said Aiden, "we're doing pretty well, how are you?"

"Not to bad either," said Pence, "besides running after you, worried half out of our minds."

"But Alice said that they were safe," said Olette as she looked at the vampires and wolves attacking the mutated villains; Edward, Jasper and Rosalie, along with Quill and Embry, joined with Jacob as they attacked Maleficent, while Bella, Emmet and Alice, along with Seth and Leah, tried to drag Gideon to the ground.

"Never mind them," said Denise as she, her fellow Stand Users and The Neon Knights ran up, "What about Sara?"

"And what about Miley?" Ryoga asked.

"They're in the one place that the enemy can't get to them," said Riku, "The TARDIS."

"That big blue box?" Lance asked, "pardon me, but how a big blue box keep them safe?"

"But it is a time machine," said Adam, "and from my understanding, time travel has its dangers, so a time machine should have its own means of protection."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Ukyo, "I want to see myself that Miley is safe with my own eyes." At that Adam and the others nodded in agreement.

"And we want to see Sara," said Nate, while Denise, Lance and David nodded in agreement.

"They're kinda busy right now," said Sora, "they've got the talisman and are trying to figure it out."

"How long have they been at it?" Kodatchi asked.

Just then Maleficent sent out a massive blast of dark lightning and a barrage of green fireballs and a laser blast from her tail that forced the wizards and Sailor Senshi back, while Gideon grabbed Max and threw him hard enough to the ground to shatter a brick wall, then went after the other meta humans and supers, blasting them with Fire, Thunder and Blizzard spells and zapping them with his laser eyes.

"Not long enough," said Tess.

But then Max got up, limping slightly and having several broken bones across his body. But to our heroes amazed eyes, his broken bones knitted themselves together and within seconds he was completely healed.

"As I said earlier!" shouted Max, "I'm not going to die today!" He then ran headlong at Gideon and grabbed the mutated villain's lower left arm, while Mr. Incredible grabbed the other arm, holding Gideon still. The mutated villain struggled to free himself but the two super-strong heroes wouldn't let go.

"I ain't one to let a perfect target get away!" shouted Jackson. He then used the Golaiath's computer to lock on to Gideon's torso, "Take this!" he then fired off the last of the mech's rockets and laser energy, inflicting massive amounts of damage to the mutated villain. At the same time, Robbie Ray and the others in MECS suits fired off the last of their ammo as well, inflicting more damage on Gideon.

"And here's the kill!" shouted Ramona as she and Scott ran up to Gideon, jumped up and stabbed him in the throat. Everyone then backed away from Gideon as he fell down, bleeding profusely from his horrendous wounds. It didn't take a genius to realize that Gideon was at deaths' door.

"One villain down," said Tess.

"And one to go," said Kairi as they all looked at Maleficent, whom was still fully in the fight.

* * *

><p>"Well," said Miley as she and the other princesses looked at the talisman, "as the tree said to the lumberjack, 'I'm stumped.'"<p>

"Whoever created the talisman was either a genius or a lunatic," said Lyra, "they made it nearly impossible to understand."

"It's a weapon of mass destruction," said Nessie, "of course they made it hard to figure out. If you were a country with nuclear weapons, and your country was on the verge of collapse, wouldn't you take precautions to make sure that your nukes wouldn't be used if they fell into the wrong hands?"

"But the thing was made with a purpose," said Violet, "to purge darkness. We just have to figure out how to do it."

"The people of Zumakalis could have at least left behind an instruction manual," said Sara.

"I just wish that the instructions that were given to us hadn't been lost," said Usagi.

"That would make it too easy," said Victoire.

At that Sara sighed, then took out the heat-shaped locket that held The Rainbow of Light, "it's times like this when I wish that all I had to worry about was the occasional demon attack, heck I'd even settle for fighting Tirnac again."

Just then Lyra looked at The Alethiometer and saw that the big hand was spinning around the symbols in a wild and chaotic pattern.

"It's gone berserk," said Usagi.

"No," said Lyra as she intensely looked at The Alethiometer, "there's a definite pattern, just give me a minute, it's going so fast…" she went into her trance, while Pan knelt own next to it, also intensely gazing at The Alethiometer. The two of them gazed at the wild pattern for several minutes without looking up.

"I'm starting to get worried," said Sara.

"What can we do to help them?" Miley asked.

"Nothing," said Nessie, "they're in the zone."

"All we can do is let them do what has to be done," said Victoire.

"Which means waiting," said Miley, "sweet nibblits, this is as aggravating and boring as watching a turtle run a marathon."

"You ain't kidding," said Sara.

* * *

><p>"If we can just get someone on Maleficent's back," said Kairi as the mutated dragon kept shooting dark lightning, green fireballs and laser blasts in all directions, keeping the sailor Senshi and wizards from getting close enough to effectively attack, "we can attack the back of the heads."<p>

"She has three heads," said Aiden, "you try sneaking up on something that can look three ways at once."

"Remind me to tell you again how I beat The Hydra," said Sora.

"That was just a monster," said Riku, "this is something else entirely."

**"I am beyond all of you!"** shouted Maleficent, **"I cannot be defeated! I am invincible!"**

"I refuse to believe that," said Harry, "nothing is invincible! Voldemort believed himself invincible, but he would up creating the means of his own destruction, just as you've placed yourself in a position that will end up destroying you."

**"Oh?"** Maleficent asked, **"and what position is that? What seeds of my own destruction have I sown?"**

"That would be me," said Andrew Carpenter as he calmly walked up to Maleficent.

"Is that guy crazy?" Aiden asked, "that dragon's gonna eat him alive!"

"Not Andrew," said Laura, "it's Maleficent who's going to be blasted into lunch meat."

**"I'm still waiting for an answer,"** said Maleficent as she glared down at Andrew, **"this insect, this genetic deviation, is no threat to me!"**

"If there's one thing you should know," said Andrew in a grave tone, "it's never underestimate the little guy." His expression then brightened, "But instead of fighting, let's play a game."

At that Maleficent was slightly taken aback, **"A game?"** she asked, **"what nonsense is this?"**

"No nonsense," said Andrew, "just a more civilized means of ending this conflict here and now so I can go home to my wife and kids."

**"I can promise you this, little man,"** said Maleficent, **"you will never see your family again, not in this life. They will be joining you in death soon enough."**

"But before that," said Andrew, "let's see who's smarter. I challenge you to a battle of wits; first one to die loses."

**"A battle of wits,"** said Maleficent,** "to the death no less,"** at that she laughed cruelly, **"how pathetic! It would be beneath me to accept a challenge form such an inferior mind."**

"How can you be so sure?" Andrew asked, "are you so absolutely confident in your own mental abilities that you're unconcerned of being challenged? Or are you afraid that I might just be smarter than you?"

**"I fear no man alive!"** snapped Maleficent,** "I will not be insulted in this way. I accept your challenge!"**

"Then let's begin," said Andrew, "we will each ask the other a riddle. Once asked, we each have five minutes to solve the riddle. A wrong answer or failure to solve the riddle, the result will be death, is this acceptable?"

**"Indeed,"** said Maleficent.

"Then you may ask the first riddle," said Andrew as he confidently crossed his arms.

**"Very well,"** said Maleficent, **"what, pray tell, is the meaning of life?"**

At that Sora and everyone else watching winced, "she had to ask that one," said Riku in a grave tone.

"The one question in which there is no clear answer," said Kairi.

"Andrew's so dead," said Tess.

"No," said Harry, "he can do this. If anyone can outsmart Maleficent, it's Andrew. Well, him and Hermione, but that's another matter entirely."

**"Well, boy?"** Maleficent asked, **"do you have an answer? Or should I destroy you now and spare you several minutes of mental agony as you struggle to find and answer to a question that has no answer?"**

"You just gave me the answer," said Andrew, "as if I needed your help to begin with. My whole life I've struggled to find the meaning to my own existence; Why was I born with mental disabilities? Why am I so obsessed with what I am obsessed with? Why did it take me so long to tell the woman whom became my wife that I loved her? That and so much more.

"I had to nearly die in order to fully live, and that's another story which I'd be more than happy to talk about later. Anyway, the answer is that there is no clear answer. Each individual, be he or she human, meta human, animal, immortal or any other species on any world, be the individual good or evil, we're all different, and for each person, the answer is different.

"To me, the meaning of life is to live as best as you can with what you have, and to strive to overcome ones own natural limitations, to learn and to grow, to become more. That for me is the meaning of life."

**"Pathetic words from a pathetic man,"** said Maleficent.

"That's your opinion," said Andrew, "I've answered your riddle, now you will answer mine, or are you going to kill me out of petty spite?"

**"The mistress of all evil is not petty,"** said Maleficent, **"ask your riddle, I shall answer it! Then I shall ask you one in which you cannot possibly answer!"**

"We'll see about that," said Andrew, "here's my riddle; what weapon is easily concealable, yet deadly enough to kill multiple persons in an instant, that alone isn't all that impressive, but in numbers is dazzling, and when thrown at an enemy, it sticks to said enemy. What am I?"

**"You must think me an imbecile,"** laughed Maleficent, **"you are referring to a miniaturized explosive devise coated with an adhesive substance."**

"How right you are!" shouted Andrew as he grinned eagerly. Before Maleficent could react, Andrew reached into his pockets and pulled thirty marble-sized blue spheres, fifteen in each hand and threw them at Maleficent. The spheres then hit Maleficent across her torso and front arms and stuck there like glue.

"I've been tinkering with mini bombs ever since I joined The BPRD," said Andrew, "my most recent design has them homing in on a target and having the adhesive remaining inert until impacting their target, so I can handle them without them adhering to me. In short, I've created _smart_ sticky bombs."

**"You insolent little mutant!"** snapped Maleficent as she tried to pull the mini bombs off of her, but the bombs stuck to her like they were welded to her flesh, **"do you honestly believe that I can be destroyed by these simple firecrackers?"**

"They're no firecrackers," said Andrew, "each one has the same destructive force as a 5lb block of C4, and I've designed these bombs to explode inward, or rather, they direct the explosive force in the direction of whatever it's sticking to. In other words, you're about to be perforated."

**"Fool!"** shouted Maleficent.

"Yell all you want," said Andrew, "nothing you say or do can stop the bombs, which I've programmed to detonate when I speak the code word," he turned his back on Maleficent and stared to walk away, "kaboom!"

At that all thirty mini bombs detonated simultaneously, blasting several holes into Maleficent, burning as well as delivering concussive force. With a gasp of agony, Maleficent collapsed to the ground.

"There," said Andrew as he pulled a small bottle of hand sanitizer and rubbed some of it into his hands, "I've slain the dragon. Can we go home now?"

"There's still the big bad demon shadow to deal with," said Tess.

"Oh, that thing?" Andrew asked as he looked at Chernabog, "I got it," he then pulled out a very large pistol.

"That's a Widley .475 auto magnum," said Riku.

"From Death Wish 3," said Andrew. He then aimed at Chernabog, "Widley's here!" he then pulled the trigger, firing a very loud shot at the demonic shadow, but the bullet passed through Chernabog as if it were nothing.

"Technically I'm not really here," said Chernabog.

"Then come here for real so I can kill you for real!" shouted Andrew.

"I have a better idea," said Chernabog, "I'll kill you all, with this!" He then shot out another mass of dark energy, aimed at Gideon, whom was barely clinging to life. The dark energy was absorbed into Gideon's body, but instead of healing the mutated villain, as Sora and the others expected would happen, Gideon's body was turned into a large sphere of pulsating dark energy, which then shot over to Maleficent and was absorbed into her body.

"Watch and behold!" said Chernabog, "I have merged two dark beings into one, and it shall be this creature whom destroys you all!"

In a flash of dark magic, Maleficent was mutated even further. Not only was her injuries healed, she now had become a bipedal dragon, standing over 40 meters tall and rippling with dragon muscle. She now had two arms and two massive wings, with a tail that split into three spiked clubs. She still had three heads but on long necks that writhed and undulated, eager to deliver death.

"It's like Godzilla and King Ghidorah did the fusion dance," said Riku.

"I don't care if she's every Toho monster all wrapped up into one!" shouted Emmet, "she's still going down!" with that he rushed right up to Maleficent and bit her on the leg, but then Maleficent kicked him away as if he were no more than an annoying insect.

**"Insolent vampire!"** shouted Maleficent, **"feel my power!"** with that all three heads then began shooting streams of concentrated green fire and dark lightning at our heroes, forcing Sora and the others to take cover at various locations around the beach.

Sora, Riku, Kairi, Tess and Aiden had taken cover behind a large rock half buried in the sand.

"Out of one fire and into another!" shouted Tess as she ducked from a fireball.

"There's the understatement of the eon," said Aiden as he ducked from a bolt of dark lightning.

Just then two wizards and Andrew ran behind the rock, "this isn't going according to the plan!" said Andrew as he checked his watch, "we were supposed to have this mission wrapped up and having everyone starting home five minutes ago."

"Haven't you heard the old adage; best laid plans of mice and men?" Riku asked.

"I also know Murphy's Law," said Andrew, "anything that can go wrong will go wrong. But still, we at the Bureau have gotten to the point where we can usually have a crisis solved in a reasonable amount of time. And there's the fact that I promised my wife that I would be home in time to make dinner."

"Isn't your wife part of The Bureau?" Sora asked.

"She still is," said Andrew, "Jill's always said that she would keep fighting the darkness for as long as she could, but we're both in semi retirement, what with our kids. Not only did we adopt three, we've got three of our own and are expecting a fourth soon."

"Seven kids," said Kairi, "wow."

"That's nothing," said Andrew, "there's families on my world with in excess of twenty kids."

"Twenty kids in one family?" Tess asked, "How do they all eat? I've seen families on Metamore with only one child and they barely had enough to eat, let alone stay warm in the winter."

"We've settled a lot of social and economic problems on our world," said Andrew, "I'd tell you all about them, but right now we have a giant mutated dragon to slay," he then looked around the side of the rock and aimed his pistol at Maleficent, "Eat lead, you festering sack of pig vomit!" he shouted as he friend shot after shot at Maleficent, against her armor-like hide, the bullets were little more than an annoyance. Andrew emptied the magazine of his pistol at the giant dragon, but to no effect.

**"Insolent worm!"** shouted Maleficent as she shot a barrage of fireballs and dark lightning at Andrew, forcing him to duck.

"I think you've made her mad," said Aiden, "to the extreme."

"Any ideas?" one of the wizards asked, while the other wizard shot stunning spells at the giant dragon.

"I've got plenty," said Andrew as he ejected the empty magazine and loaded a fresh one, "they mostly involve tactical nukes, or at least a few dozen MOAB's, but I used our only large-scale warhead for the EMP device."

"Well that was a fool thing to do," said Katarina as she and Nikolai ran over and took cover, "using up your best weapon like that."

"Well _excuse_ me, princess," said Andrew in an annoyed tone as he tapped his left fingers to his palm, "I didn't know that the baddies here would turn into _Kaiju_."

Just then Maleficent stopped shooting fireballs and dark lightning at the rock. Sora then risked a look above the rock. He saw the vampires and wolves circling around Maleficent, dodging fireballs and dark lighting, waiting for an opening. At the same time the Stand users and several supers and wizards, including Harry, were also looking for an opening.

Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess also looked up and saw what was happening. They then saw that Hayner, Pence, Olette, Reddik, Rakel, Roxas and Namine had taken cover at an other rock nearby. Roxas and Hayner waved to Sora and the others, but then Pence pointed at something.

Sora and his group looked and saw three mutated Heartless; a Wyvern, a Defender and an Invisible, attacking Maleficent.

"What are those?" Sora asked.

"You missed something while you were sneaking inside the castle," said Andrew, "the three Hakonians, Falkon, Tylek and Hektor, they merged with Heartless so they could fight the enemy hordes better."

"They did what!" exclaimed Nikolai in a shocked and outraged, while Sora saw Hayner explain the situation to Reddik and Rakel, whom were also shocked and outraged.

"They can't do that!" exclaimed Katarina, "when Hakonians merge with Heartless, there's no going back."

"Rakel managed to survive merging with a Heartless," said Kairi, "and so did Konrad."

"That's because Rakel stole Konrad's energy when you fought her on that Pirate world," said Nikolai, "and Konrad stole energy from Reddik, Rakel and Erika on Metamore. But with Falkon, Hektor and Tylek…"

"They didn't absorb anyone's energy before they merged," said Hayner to Reddik and Rakel.

"Then they're finished," said Rakel in a defeated tone, "they helped inspire us to become the leaders of our people, and now they're as good as dead."

"They said that they were going to die anyway," said Pence, "that they were really old for Hakonians."

"The rapid aging," said Reddik, "it happens to all of us once we've gone past 300 years," he sighed with resignation, "they did what they thought was right."

"That doesn't excuse them from committing suicide!" said Rakel.

"It was either that or waste away," said Reddik.

"Can we talk about this later?" Pence asked as they ducked another barrage of fireballs and dark lightning.

Just then Sora saw Bella run up to Maleficent, climbed up her scaly hide and bit the left head on the neck. All three heads roared in pain, but other than that the mutated dragon was unaffected, except for being extremely aggravated.

**"Enough!"** shouted Maleficent. She then charged up a huge black sphere of dark magic, **"you shall all be destroyed!"**

"Everyone! Duck!" shouted Alice, but she was too late. Maleficent unleashed her curse, sending out destructive waves of magic struck our heroes with the force of a category 5 hurricane. Not even The TARDIS was spared from the wrathful dark blast as the time machine was knocked on it's side, with the door facing down.

* * *

><p>Everyone in the control room felt the ship shudder violently. Circuits on the control panel shorted out and sparks flew from the walls.<p>

"What in the wide world of sports is that?" Violet asked.

"Either a category 5 hurricane just struck," said The Doctor as he looked at the view screen, "or Maleficent's unleashed some serious dark mojo. I'm aiming towards the later."

"I thought you said that The TARDIS couldn't be attacked," said Victoire, "that you took the ship out of phase with the universe, or something like that."

"It was a safeguard against physical attacks," said The Doctor, "not against seriously wicked mojo, which I'm now reasonably sure was what happened to us."

"Reasonably sure?" Usagi asked.

"Well, I have been wrong from time to time," said The Doctor.

"And you picked a seriously bad time to be right," said Rory.

"Doctor," said Amy as she looked at another data screen, "am I reading this right? It says that the TARDIS has been knocked on its side with the doors facing down."

Rory ran to the door and opened it, revealing the ground, "well that's just great," he said.

"If the ship is on it's side," said Nessie asked, "how is it that we're still standing up? I'll bet it has something to do with the interior of the ship being in a different dimension."

"Never mind that," said Miley, "how do we get out of here if the doors are on the ground?"

"Oh, that's easy," said The Doctor as he pressed a few buttons on the control panel, "we'll just dematerialize for a bit, and then rematerialize right side up." he then pressed the button that would send The TARDIS into the time vortex, but nothing happened, "well that's not right," said The Doctor as he pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver, "now what's wrong this time?"

"Are you telling me that the time machine's busted?" Sara asked.

"No," said The Doctor as he finished scanning the control panel and read the results, "just a few parts, including the Fluid Link. I knew we should have stocked up on mercury when we were last on Earth. No matter, we can easily fix this in due time."

"Well time is what we still have," said Miley as she looked at Lyra and Pan, both of them still in their trance, "those two are still out to lunch like my Uncle Earl during a Baywatch marathon."

"Nice family you've got," said Violet.

Just then Lyra and Pan stood up, "The Rainbow of Light!' they both shouted.

"What about it?" Sara asked as she held the locket in both hands, "Lyra, what did the Alethiometer tell you?"

"The Rainbow of Light is the key," said Lyra, "the power source of the Talisman. The people of Zumakalis, they created The Talisman to be a weapon for light, and The Rainbow of Light is its source of power. When the talisman was used to destroy Zumakalis, the survivors separated The Rainbow from the Talisman and sent it far away to another world, in hopes that it would never be used for evil again, to one day find itself in the hands of the one who's heart is most pure."

"Me," said Sara, "first my mother, as a caretaker, now me. All this time, I've had the source of power for the most dangerous weapon in existence."

"But you can't use it by yourself," said Lyra, "it takes seven pure hearts to fully use the talisman. Either good or evil, so long as the hears are pure and they are united as one, then the talisman can be used to banish the darkness."

"But how do we use it?" Nessie asked.

"The heart-shaped indentation," said Lyra, "put the locket in it and open."

"So that's what this part is for," said Nessie as she looked at the heart-shaped indentaion. She held the talisman as Sara brought the locket over to it. Sara looked at her fellow princesses, whom all nodded in agreement, and she placed the locket into the heart-shaped indentation. It was a perfect fit. She then opened the locket and The Rainbow of Light came out. The stream of multi-colored magic flew out, did a single circuit of the control room and then shot towards the talisman, merging with it. The talisman then glowed brightly with rainbow-colored energy.

"It's incredible," said a smiling Nessie, "I…I can feel it…The Talisman…it's alive somehow."

"It is alive," said Miley as she also smiled, "I'm feeling it too."

"Me too," said Violet.

"And me," said Lyra.

"And me," said Sara.

"And me," said Usagi.

"And me," said Victoire, "but what do we do now?"

"We can't do anything until we fix the TARDIS controls," said Amy as she handed a spare part to The Doctor, "which should be…"

"Another five minutes," said The Doctor as he installed the spare part, only to have more circuits short out, "better make it ten, just to be safe."

"Sweet nibblits," said an annoyed Miley.

"You can say that again," remarked Violet.

Just then The Cloister Bell sounded again.

"Now what?" Usagi asked.

"Oh, this is bad," said The Doctor as he looked at the data screen, "very bad. You remember the seriously strong mojo, well, it's coming towards us."

"It's Maleficent," said Lyra as she consulted The Alethiometer, "she's coming for us!"

* * *

><p>Sora slowly regained his senses from the blast. He began to get up, slightly unsure on his feet and nearly losing his balance. He then realized that his armor was severely damaged and his helmet was gone.<p>

He then saw that Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess were all knocked out, while Andrew, Katarina and Nikolai were nowhere to be seen. He looked and saw that Hayner and his group were gone as well.

"Sora!" shouted King Mickey as he ran over, followed by Pete, whom was helping Harry over as well, while Teddy followed, clutching a broken wrist.

"Guys," said Sora, "what happened?"

"Maleficent really went over the edge," said Pete.

"No one's dead," said Harry, "thank god, but nearly everyone's hurt," he then looked at his left leg, which was broken, "some worse than others."

"How long have I been out?" Sora asked as he looked around and saw the amount of devastation Maleficent's curse had wrought. Dunes had been flattened and large patches of sand were scorched into glass, while the nearby ocean was emitting steam from being heated up.

"Long enough for those of us still able to stand to set up a makeshift hospital," said Teddy, "we've been getting those who can't walk over there."

By then Riku and Kairi had begun to wake up. Their armor, damaged as much as Sora's was, had spared them the worst of the curse, but they were still groggy and slow in regaining their senses.

"What about Maleficent?" Sora asked.

"She's been ignoring us since she blasted us," said Pete, "she's gone after that big blue box thing."

"The TARDIS?" Aiden asked in a groggy tone as he and Tess tried to get up, "what does she want with The TARDIS?"

"That's where Victoire and the other princesses are," said Teddy, "and the talisman."

Sora then looked and saw that the giant dragon that was Maleficent had walked over to where The TARDIS lay facedown, looking down at the time machine, as if trying to figure out how to proceed next.

"We can't let her do anything else!" said Sora, "we've got to stop her from destroying The TARDIS!"

"I'd be more than happy to help, Sora," said Riku in a weak tone, "but right now I barely have the strength to stand up."

"I'm also in no condition to fight," said Tess.

"Me neither," said Kairi, "sorry, Sora."

"I'm also sorry," said Aiden.

"There's no one else able to keep fighting, Sora," said King Mickey, "even I can barely get my Keyblade up."

At that Sora looked around, hoping to find someone, anyone, still able to fight, but he saw no one else. Everyone was either too badly hurt to move or was helping the wounded. He then realized that he really was the only one still able to keep fighting, and although the thought filled him with terror, terror at being alone in a fight for the future of all existence, he still felt courage, for he knew that while his friends weren't able to fight with him, they were still with him at heart.

"Looks like it's up to me then," said Sora in a calm, resolved tone, "I'll take on Maleficent myself."

"Are you out of your freaking mind?" Aiden exclaimed as he tore his helmet off and glared at Sora. "did that blast scramble your brains or something?"

"You can't possibly be serious, Sora," said Riku as he, Kairi and Tess also took off their helmets.

"I am," said Sora.

"But you can't fight Maleficent alone!" said Kairi, "she'll eat you alive!"

"Did you even think about what you would do to fight her, all by yourself?" Tess asked.

"Uh, not really," said Sora, "but I know that I can do it, somehow."

"It's official," said Aiden in an exasperated tone, "our fearless leader has gone completely off the twist."

"I hate to admit it, Sora," said The King, "but a single Keyblade Wielder can't fight a villain that powerful alone."

"She's just way too strong!" said Pete, "not even them vampire bites could hurt Maleficent that much."

"She maybe more powerful than anything any of us have ever seen before," said Teddy as he raised his wand, "but I'll wager every Galleon my parents left me in their wills that Maleficent isn't invincible. _Accio _sword!" with a flash of metal the Sword of Godric Gryffindor shot from the ground and he caught it in his wand hand, without damaging his wand, as easily as catching a Snitch at a Quidditch match.

"Good catch," said an impressed Harry, "why didn't you tell me you had Seeker skills?"

"I liked being a Chaser," said Teddy.

"What good can that fancy toothpick do?" Pete asked.

"It's got a lot of magical properties about it," said Harry, "including the power to destroy Horcruxes."

"I don't think Maleficent split her soul and hit the pieces in any objects," said King Mickey.

"Who says she has a soul to begin with?" Riku asked.

"It can still hurt her," said Harry, "I used the sword to kill a Basilisk, and the sword absorbed a lot of Basilisk venom."

"Can basilisk venom kill when vampire venom could barely hurt?" Tess asked.

"Let's find out," said Teddy. He then walked over to Sora and held out the sword, "take it."

"But it's not mine," said Sora, "didn't you tell me that that phoenix gave it to you, Teddy?"

"That was then," said Teddy as he held up his broken wrist. "I'm in no condition to fight, and neither is Harry."

"Take it, Sora," said Harry, "you've got more courage and sheer guts than anyone I've ever known. Godric Gryffindor himself couldn't have chosen a better wizard to be in his house, now take up the sword and slay the dragon!"

"You can do it, Sora," said Kairi, "we believe in you." At that Riku, Aiden and Tess nodded in agreement.

"Well," said Sora, "if you insist," he took the sword, holding it in one hand and wielding his Keyblade in the other, he faced the mutated dragon.

"Alright, Maleficent!" Sora shouted, "this time it's for keeps, for real!"

**"You forget, boy!"** shouted Maleficent, **"I still have three other lives. Defeat me now and I will come back, stronger than ever, that is, if you can defeat me!"**

"I can defeat you!" shouted Sora, "and I will!" He then ran at Maleficent.

The mutated dragon then shot a furious barrage of green fireballs and bolts of dark lightning at Sora, but he blocked them with his Keyblade and the sword, the Keyblade deflecting the dark magic while the sword absorbed the fireballs and lightning bolts into the blade.

**"Fall!"** shouted Maleficent as she intensified her onslaught of dark magic, **"fall, damn you!"**

"Never!" shouted Sora as he kept running towards Maleficent, blocking and absorbing the dark magic barrage. He then was within striking range of Maleficent, at which time the sword was glowing with white magic.

"I've seen this before," said Laura Hurst, "this one time, a few years ago, another wielder of the sword found out that the sword can absorb dark magic and change it to light magic, as if reversing polarity."

"Can it store it up to be used when needed?" Riku asked.

"I don't know," said Harry, "there's still a lot that we don't know about the sword."

"Well, let's take it like it can," said Riku. He then shouted, "Sora! aim for Maleficent's twisted, black heart!"

**"No!"** shouted Maleficent as she realized how venerable she was now that Sora was so close to her

"This is for everyone you've ever hurt!" shouted Sora. He then threw the Sword of Godric Gryffindor at Maleficent, the glowing white blade piercing her dragon-hide and penetrating right to her heart. The absorbed magical energy was then released and burst out of her, the magic blast out of the mutated dragon with near-blinding rays of white light throughout her body.

**"No!"** shouted Maleficent and more and more rays of white energy burst from her body, **"I cannot die here! I will not…I…I will not die!**" Her entire body then shone bright white and burst apart, shattering into white shards that darkened to black and collapsed into dust that drifted away on the wind.

Sora then walked over and picked up the sword where it had fell to the ground. The sword had returned to it's normal color and luster. He then realized that everyone was cheering loudly for him.

"You did it, Sora!" shouted Kairi as she ran over, tearing the helmet of her armor off as she reached Sora. She then flung her arms out his neck and kissed him. He hugged her back and kissed her with equal passion.

"It's over," said Riku, his voice heavy with relief, "it's finally over."

"We did it," said Aiden, "we saved the worlds and all of existence."

"Pardon me," said Chernabog, "but it's far from over."

"Oh for crying out loud, you big, ugly dark thing," said Tess, "we've beaten everything you've thrown at us and how."

"You think I've shown you my best?" Chernabog asked, "I have not yet begun to fight. Behold!"

Another living shadow then shimmered into existence. It was an enlarged version of Chernabog, only well over 500 feet tall.

"It's like the one I fought before," said Sora, "only bigger."

"The one you fought had only a fraction of the power I can wield," said the smaller Chernabog, "but this one shall be the one whom shall finish you all for good!" he looked up at his giant counterpart, "destroy them all!" At that the giant Chernabog started towards our heroes. It then gestured towards our heroes and summoned a ball of hellfire.

"Look out!" shouted Sora as he and everyone dodged the hellfire ball. It exploded on the ground, splashing the area with smaller balls of hellfire.

"This is nuts!" said Tess as she and Riku got out of the way of the hellfire, "none of us are still able to fight!"

"Except for Sora!" said Riku.

"And us!" shouted Falkon as he, Tylek and Hektor, in their Heartless forms, rushed at the giant Chernabog. Hektor reached the left leg of the giant demonic shadow and began pummeling it with his shields. Tylek flew up to the demon's face and began clawing at its eyes and Falkon flew up to the demon's midsection and began slashing and stabbing with his sword.

"Ha!" exclaimed the smaller Chernabog, "there's no way some smooshed together would-be heroes can defeat my bigger self!"

The bigger Chernabog then swatted Tylek out of the air with a massive claw strike, sending Tylek crashing to the ground. His Wyvern form then dissolved into black smoke and a small crystal heart rose into the air and vanished, while his skin turned completely gray and started to crack.

It then kicked Hektor hard, sending him across the beach towards the ocean, crashing into the shallows of the water. As the waves broke along the sand, his Defender form dissolved into black smoke and a small crystal heart rose into the air and vanished, while his skin turned completely gray and began to crack.

Falkon then dodged a claw strike aimed at him and countered with another sword strike, "I won't give up!" he exclaimed, "I'll keep fighting till the bitter end!" he then set his sword alight and stabbed it into the dark mass of the giant demonic shadow. But the giant Chernabog was completely unaffected.

"Pathetic!" said the smaller Chernabog. The larger version then reared back and unleashed a blast of Friaga Breath, freezing Falkon in a block of ice. He then crashed to the ground, the ice shattering on impact. The heartless form he had taken dissolved into smoke and a small crystal heart rose and vanished into the air, while his skin turned completely gray and he began to crack.

"We've got to help them!" shouted Sora.

"Haven't you realized it by now, Sora?" Chernabog asked, "nothing you do will make a difference. I always win, one way or another." But then came the sound of a pair of loud engines. Everyone looked up to see _The Intrepid Heart _and _The Voyaging Light_ screaming down from space.

Both ships then fired their lasers at the giant Chernabog, the blasts scoring numerous hits on the oversized demonic shadow and flying past to turn around for another strafing run, scoring more hits. The giant demonic shadow shot several balls of hellfire at the two ships, but they were too fast, easily avoiding the evil fire and turning around for another strafing run.

"Who's flying our ships?" Riku asked.

Just then Sora's cell phone rang. He then answered it, "hello?"

"Thought you could use a hand, Sora," said a familiar voice on the other end of the call.

"Leon!" shouted Sora.

* * *

><p>Onboard the bridge of <em>The Intrepid Heart<em>, Leon was sitting in the command chair, while Areith was at the helm, Yuffie was at the weapons station and Cid was at the engendering station, while Sidney was handling the rest of the ship's functions.

"Bring us around for another pass, Areith," said Leon, "Yuffie, arm missiles."

"Missiles are armed and locked on," said Yuffie, "ready to launch!" she grinned eagerly, "I should have dome something like this years ago! It's awesome!"

"You wanna ship of your own?" Cid asked, "talk to me later, we'll work somethin' out."

"We're coming about!" said Areith, "we'll be lined up to fire in three seconds!"

"Engine balance is holding," said Cid.

"Fire!" shouted Leon. Yuffie pressed the firing buttons, unleashing another laser salvo and firing four missiles at the demonic shadow.

* * *

><p>Sora and the others saw the lasers and missiles hit the giant Chernabog, while the lasers from <em>The Voyaging Light <em>also hit the giant demonic shadow.

"I knew we should have splurged and gotten some missiles," said Hayner.

"You told me to spend the money on engine parts," said Pence, "that the lasers would be enough."

"And you bought parts off the back of a truck," said Olette.

"I said that I was sorry about that," said Pence, "but that's not important right now. Who's flying our ship?"

Just then Hayner's phone rang. He answered, "hello?"

"Don't think we're doing this for fun," said an unfortunately familiar voice.

"Seifer!" exclaimed Hayner.

"Seifer?" both Pence and Olette asked.

* * *

><p>On the bridge of <em>The Voyaging Light<em>, Seifer indeed sat in the captain's chair, while Fuu manned the engendering station and Rai sat at the tactical station. Vivi piloted the ship, bringing _The Voyaging Light _around to fire at the oversized demonic shadow.

"Blast that big bastard!" shouted Seifer. Rai then pressed the firing button, shooting the ship's lasers, scoring several direct hits. But then both crews realized that despite their accuracy, none of their hits were doing any damage.

"I'm hitting the thing but it won't go down, ya' know!" exclaimed Rai.

"Stubborn creature!" said Fuu.

"I don't care, we're going to take that big jerk down!" snapped Seifer, "Vivi, turn the ship around, and don't you start thinking that we're cool again!"

"The thought never crossed my mind," said Vivi as he maneuvered _The Voyaging Light _through a tight turn. He then muttered, "you big meanie, like I'd ever join your crew again."

"The target thing is beeping red, ya' know?" said Rai, "we can shoot now, ya'know?"

"Then shoot the damn thing!" shouted Seifer.

"Attack!" shouted Fuu.

"Shooting, ya'know!" shouted Rai as he pressed the firing buttons.

* * *

><p>"They're not doing any damage to that thing!" shouted Aiden as our heroes watched the two ships continue to shoot the giant demonic shadow.<p>

"Now you begin to understand," said the smaller Chernabog, "and now to further your education!"

The larger Chernabog then reached up and swatted at _The Voyaging Light_, hitting the ship and damaging its engines.

"Oh crap!" exclaimed Hayner, Pence and Olette.

* * *

><p>The bridge of <em>The Voyaging Light <em>shook violently as the clawed hand of the giant demonic shadow smacked the ship. Warning lights flashed and klaxons sounded. Panels and circuits shorted out.

"How badly are we hurt?" Seifer asked.

"Bad!" said Fuu as she read the damage report off her computer screen, "shields, gone! Weapons, gone! Life support, failing! Engines, failing!"

Just then the ship began falling to the ground, "we're going down, ya'know!" exclaimed Rai.

"I can see that, you big lummox!" snapped Seifer, "Vivi!"

"I'm doing all that I can!" shouted Vivi as he struggled with the controls to stabilize the ship, but to know avail, "helm is unresponsive! We're going down and nothing's going to stop it! Impact in eight seconds!"

"Hail Marry time, ya'know!" exclaimed Rai.

"Pray!" shouted Fuu.

"That big jerk!" snapped Seifer as the ground rapidly approached. Everyone onboard closed their eyes, hoping that when the end came, it would be quick and painless. But instead of the sickening crash, the ship just stopped.

"We're okay, ya'know," said Rai, "we're okay."

"Thanks for stating the obvious," said Seifer, "but why are we okay?"

"Tractor beam," said Fuu as she looked at the data display.

* * *

><p>"Tractor beam is holding!" said Sidney, "we've got them!"<p>

"Set them down nice an easy," said Leon.

"We'll have 'em on the ground in no time," said Cid.

"In the meantime," said Yuffie, "we're venerable to that big shadow thing!"

"It's coming right for us!" said Areith. The view screen then saw the giant Chernabog stalking towards the ship.

"Can we still fire?" Leon asked.

"Yes, but we can't move until we've set the other ship down," said Yuffie.

"Just fire!" shouted Leon, "anything that'll slow the thing down, fire!"

"Firing lasers!" shouted Yuffie, "missiles armed, locked, and fired!"

* * *

><p>Sora and the others watched as <em>The Intrepid Heart <em>fired its weapons at the giant Chernabog, doing its very best to slow the oversized demonic shadow while the ship carefully placed _The Voyaging Light _on the ground. But the creature kept coming towards them.

Finally, the crippled ship was on the ground.

* * *

><p>"They're down and safe!" shouted Cid.<p>

"Move us behind the thing!" said Leon, "force the creature away from the other ship and the others on the ground!"

Areith drove the ship up, trying to get above the demonic shadow. But the giant Chernabog looked up and shot a Firaga Blast at _The Intrepid Heart_, freezing the majority of the ship's hull.

"It got us!" shouted Sidney as the ship shuddered, "internal systems damaged; life support failing! Weapons offline! Navigation offline! Engine output failing!"

"Darn it!" snapped Yuffie as she slammed her fists into her computer terminal in frustration.

"I can't maintain our altitude!" shouted Areith, "we're going down!"

* * *

><p>Sora and the others could only watch helplessly as <em>The Intrepid Heart <em>began to plummet to the ground.

But then the engines sputtered and flared to life, mere seconds from impact.

* * *

><p>"We've got propulsion up again!" said Cid.<p>

"Areith!" shouted Leon.

Areith struggled with the helm, straining to pull the ship out of her fall. She barely got the nose up and initiated an upward thrust, just as the ship hit the ground, bounced once and skidded to a halt in the sand.

The crew was thrown out of their seats as the entire ship violently shook. Sparks flew from all panels and walls and the lights blew out.

Then it was quiet. A few more circuits blew and more light bulbs popped an a fire smoldered here and there. But then Leon, Areith, Yuffie and Cid regained consciousness. They were all battered, bruised and cut, but alive.

"Damage report," said Leon in a dazed tone.

"I don't know where to start," said Yuffie.

"I think the proper word to describe our ship is 'junked.'" said Areith.

"It ain't junked till I say it's junked," said Cid. Just then more circiuts blew, "okay, it's junked."

"Not all of the ship is junked," said Sidney, her holographic image flickering, "the computer core is…" her image flickered again, "mostly intact, including my programming," her image flickered again longer, "but my projectors are failing, and my mobile emitter is smashed," she closed her eyes in concentration, "correction, the computer hard drive is significantly damaged, data corrupting. And the engine is becoming unstable. I'll have to shut everything down both in order to prevent further damage," she looked at Leon, "and there's a chance that the computer won't be able to turn on again."

"If that's so, you'll be lost as well," said Areith.

"I know," said Sidney, "but if I don't turn the ship completely off, I won't have to worry about saving my programming, the engine will explode, and possibly kill a lot of our friends, and I can't waste time to argue," she closed her eyes again, "initiating complete system shutdown."

With that Leon, Areith, Yuffie and Cid heard the engines powering down.

"I'll be offline in a few seconds," said Sidney, "when you guys see Sora and the others, tell them, just in case I don't make it, tell them that it's been great."

"We will," said Areith, "and thank you for looking after Sora and the others."

"My pleasure," said Sidney. With that her image began flickering even more rapidly, "oh, and tell Tron that I'm glad that he made me!" with that she flickered out of existence.

"We will," said Yuffie, "goodbye, Sidney." At that she and the other three were quiet for a minute in respect for a lost friend.

But then Leon got serious as he sifted through the wrecked bridge and found his gun sword, "let's go," he said. At that Areith, Yuffie and Cid nodded in agreement and they all left the wreck of the bridge.

* * *

><p>"How many more interruptions do I have to tolerate before you fools get the picture?" the smaller Chernabog asked, "you can't win."<p>

"Well what do you want from us?" Aiden asked, "you want us to get on our knees and worship you like a god or something?"

"I want you to stop so I can finish you off," said Chernabog, "this constant fighting is growing tedious. I have so many other projects; so many hearts to corrupt, so many worlds to fill with chaos. The failure of this plan has been a…moderate setback, but one that can be quickly made up for, but first I have to eliminate you meddling brats so you cannot interfere with my schemes ever again," he looked at the overturned TARDIS, "starting with that particular meddling fool. Forget The Silence, I'll destroy The Doctor myself," he looked up at his giant counterpart, "destroy that time machine!" At that the giant Chernabog stalked towards The TARDIS.

* * *

><p>"Doctor," said a very worried Amy as she looked at the external view screen, "that big mean demon thing, it's coming towards us!"<p>

"If there was a time to use the talisman," said Victoire, "it's now."

"No," said Lyra after looking at The Alethiometer, "not yet. The talisman can only be used once before exhausting The Rainbow of Light."

"It'll destroy it?" Sara demanded, "why the hell didn't you tell me that?"

"Not destroy," said Lyra, "I meant it would be only drained of power. It will recharge itself, but the talisman itself won't be able to be used for some time. We'll have only one chance to use it, so if we use it, it'll have to be when we're sure it won't miss that thing."

"And it wouldn't be a good idea to use it inside The TARDIS," said Nessie, "this time machine is bigger on the inside, but we don't know what kind of effect the talisman will have on it, so we should use it outside."

"We don't know what the talisman will do to begin with," said Violet, "just that it'll banish darkness. For all we know it's just a big flashlight. And we still don't know how to use it."

"Hold that thought," said Nessie, "I believe I have an idea on how to use it."

"Well we won't know what it does just by sitting around here waiting for that thing to come and crush us," said Miley.

"Speaking of which," said Nessie, "Doctor…?"

"Hang on!" said The Doctor, "just one second…well…two and a half actually, then again…"

"Doctor!" exclaimed everyone in the control room.

"Alright, alright," said The Doctor as he finished, "there, it's fixed. Now," he stood up and pressed the desired button and the central column began rising and falling again. "One time ship relocation coming right up!"

* * *

><p>Sora and the others could only watch as the giant demonic shadow reached the lopsided TARDIS and raised its clawed foot to smash the time machine. But then it faded out of existence just as the giant Chernabog brought its foot down, the force of its stomp shaking the entire beach.<p>

Almost instantly, The TARDIS reappeared on an empty part of the beach across from Sora and the others, standing fully upright.

* * *

><p>"There now," said The Doctor, "right as rain again, and now, I do believe that we have a giant shadow thing to confront."<p>

"The big shadow is just a tool," said Lyra, "the smaller one is the one we really have to worry about."

"Then that's what we'll talk to," said The Doctor. He then walked to the door and opened it, stepping outside.

"Well now," said the Doctor as he took in the sight of what was happening on the beach, "isn't this something."

"Ah, The Doctor," said the smaller Chernabog, "I see that you're still sticking your bowtie in things that are not your concern."

"What can I say," said The Doctor, "bowties are cool."

"And where are your companions, the Ponds?" Chernabog asked.

"Right here, you creepy shadow thing," said Amy as she and Rory walked outside.

"We stopped you from wiping out The Hakonians," said Rory, "and we'll stop you here, somehow."

"What happened on Hakonian Prime was a fluke," said Chernabog, "I simply underestimated you travelers, and that alchemist brat."

"My ears are burning, you son of a bitch!" snapped Aiden.

"And I'll deal with you in due time," said Chernabog, "but right now I have unfinished business with The Doctor. He's meddled in my affairs before without him even knowing it."

"I'm sorry," said The Doctor, "but what meddling are you referring to?"

"Ah, where to begin?" Chernabog asked, "I've influenced so many races you've crossed paths with; The Ice Warriors, The Zygons, The Sontarians, Cybermen, they were all my unknowing puppets. I was the one who originally inspired Davros to create The Daleks. He would have figured it out on his own, eventually, but not quickly enough, so I pushed him along."

"Then it's true that you are responsible for so much evil throughout history," said The Doctor.

"You have no idea," said Chernabog, "one of my more greater triumphs, and at the same time failures, was your old friend and nemesis, The Master. True, it was Rassilon and the rest of The High Council of Gallifrey who drove The Master insane, all in an roundabout plan to save their sorry hides and Gallifrey from being burned with The Daleks, but I helped him along. He had so much potential, that one," he glared at The Doctor, "but you, you had to come along and ruin his plans at every turn. And then of course, you had to burn Gallifrey in order to end The Time War. Your people and The Daleks were creating so much chaos through time and space, it was delicious, and then you had to end it before I had my fill."

"From what I gather," said the Doctor, "your craving for chaos is never satisfied."

"Don't try to analyze me, Time Lord," said Chernabog, "I've brought down far greater beings than you."

"Then why am I not cowering in terror at you?" The Doctor asked, "why am I being so confident if you're so unstoppable?"

"It's because you're a fool who doesn't know when to leave things well enough alone!" snapped Chernabog, "your false confidence will be your undoing!"

"Oh, but my confidence is very real," said The Doctor, "and when I'm being confident, it's a very good reason for you to be afraid, and no, Pond, I'm not bluffing, not this time anyway."

"Mind telling me when you've been bluffing?" Amy asked.

"Later," said The Doctor. He then looked at Chernabog, "you want to know why I'm so confident?"

"Please, enlighten me," said Chernabog as he irately crossed his arms.

"It's because my dear friends have unlocked the secret of The Sacred Talisman of Zumakalis," said The Doctor, "you and your friends can come out now, my dear Renesmee Carlie Cullen."

"Please, call me Nessie," she said as she, Lyra and Pan, Sara, Usagi, Miley, Violet and Victoire walked out of The TARDIS.

"You," said Chernabog as he pointed an accusing finger at the seven princesses of heart, "and that," he pointed at the talisman, "how can you have unlocked its secret?"

"We learned the truth of it," said Lyra, "and we know how to use it!"

"No we don't," whispered Usagi.

"But Chernabog doesn't know that," said Sara.

"The old blind mans bluff," said Miley.

"I said I had an idea on how to use it," said Nessie, "it's a long shot, and I may end up killing us all, but it's a risk I'm willing to take."

"If you're going to do it," said Sara, "then I'm with you."

"Same with me," said Victoire, while Violet, Miley, Usagi and Lyra nodded in agreement.

"Then here we go!" said Nessie as she held up The Talisman, "everyone, form a circle around the talisman, we're going to channel ours powers through it in sequence. Victoire first, then Miley, then Usagi, then Lyra and Pan, then me, then Violet and Sara last."

"Seven pure hearts, working as one," said Sara, "yes, I believe I get it. Seven, for the colors of the rainbow, the rainbow within! Yes, I understand now!"

"No!" snapped Chernabog, "how did you figure it out?"

"That's my dirty little secret," said Nessie, "and thanks for telling me that my hunch was right!"

"No!" snapped Chernabog, "I won't let you!" he looked up at his oversized counterpart, "kill them! Smash the talisman and kill those princesses!"

"I won't let you!' shouted Sora as he ran up to the giant demonic shadow with his Keyblade up.

"You may have defeated me before, Sora," said Chernabog, "but today you and all your friends die!" At that the giant Chernabog stalked towards our heroes.

"How long do you need, Nessie?" Sora asked.

"A few minutes," said Nessie as the princesses formed a circle around the talisman, touching it with their hands.

"I'm already pouring my energy into the talisman," said Victoire, indeed, her magic, taking the form of soft, warm red light, flowed from her hands and into the talisman.

"Here's mine," said Miley as her power, colored orange, flowed from her hands and into the talisman. Usagi was next, her power was colored yellow. Lyra and Pan, being two halves of the same being, sent their power in, their color being green.

"Kill them!" shouted Chernabog to his larger counterpart. It took another step closer and shot a blast of hellfire at the princesses.

"No!" shouted Sora as he raised his Keyblade and blocked the hellfire blast, but it nearly drained him of energy to do it.

"It's over, Sora," said Chernabog "one more blast and you are dead!"

"He won't die alone!" shouted Kairi as she ran up and stood next to Sora, taking hold of his hand.

"Then you both shall die!" shouted Chernabog as his larger self shot another blast of hellfire. But when Sora raised his Keybalde, he blocked it with greater force.

"Kairi's power is being added to Sora's!" shouted Riku, "and so's mine!" he ran over to Sora and placed his hand on Sora's shoulder.

"And mine!" shouted Tess as she ran over and touched Sora's arm, while Aiden touched Sora's other arm.

"It matters not!" shouted Chernabog as the bigger one shot another hellfire blast, but then Sora and the others blocked the blast as if it were nothing.

"We're doing it!" shouted Aiden.

"And so are Nessie and the others!" said Tess. Sora glanced back and saw that Nessie and Violet had added their power to the talisman, Nessie's being blue and Violet's being that, violet.

"And mine's the last," said Sara as she poured her power into the talisman, her's being white. All the colored power merged and illuminating up the talisman with rainbow hued magic.

"No!" shouted Chernabog, while the larger demonic shadow fired off blast after Friaga Blast at Sora, but he and his fellow Keyblade Wielders blocked the blasts.

"Now?" Sara asked.

"Not yet!" shouted Nessie, "we need to wait till the magic is at its most potent."

"Now?" Miley asked.

"Still not yet," said Nessie.

"Crush them!" shouted Chernabog, "smash them to pieces!" at that his larger counterpart stalked towards our heroes.

"Now, Nessie?" Sora asked, "I don't think we can stop that thing from stepping on us!"

"Nothing can stop it!" snapped Chernabog, "now you're dead!" At that his larger self raised its foot to stomp on Sora and the others.

But then Goofy ran up and raised his shield and blocked the giant shadow foot, "ain't no way I'm letting' you hurt my friends!" he shouted as he strained to hold back the foot.

Just then Pete, Donald and King Mickey ran up and stood with Goofy, helping him hold the foot back, "friends stick together, no matter what!" shouted The King.

"Even ex-steamboat captains have their part to play!' shouted Pete.

"Now?" Usagi asked.

"Almost there!" shouted Nessie.

"How 'bout now?" Miley asked.

"Whatever happened to the phrase, a watched pot never boils?" Nessie asked, "oh, and now's he time!"

"You sure?" Violet asked.

"Damn it, yes!" shouted Nessie, "do it now!"

"Time to taste the rainbow!" shouted Sara as she and the princesses unleashed the magic of the talisman in the form of what could best be described as a sonic rainboom. The talisman unleashed a blindingly bright, rainbow-colored shockwave that lit up the area like a new sun. Sora and the others winced in shock, but then they looked around in wonder as the rainbow shockwave brought everything into crystal clarity.

But the two Chernabogs were severely affected, as if the sonic rainboom was seriously hurting them. The larger Chernabog, shied away from our heroes and raised its hands to shield its eyes from the light. It's body began to smoke and dissolve, eventually fading out of existence.

As for the smaller Chernabog, he too was beginning to dissolve and fade out of existence, "you fools!" he shouted, "you think this is a victory! You've only delayed the inevitable! I will return, stronger than…" but then the rainbow light became too much for him, "no, the light! I…I cannot stand the light!" with that he vanished.

"Now is it over?" Aiden asked.

"It sure looks that way," said Nessie as she fellow princesses stepped back from the talisman and all sat down in exhaustion, while the talisman stopped glowing and the locket that held The Rainbow of Light popped out, which Sara picked up, cradeling it in her hands like it was the most precious thin in her life.

"Not quite," said The Doctor, "that shockwave's still going, and if my guess is right, which they usually are, it's going to completely go around the world, rebound on itself and come right back here where it started from."

"Why?" Nessie asked as she and the other princesses got up.

"I think I know," said Edward as he and the other heroes walked over, all of them seemingly had their wounds healed, "not only did the sonic rainboom heal everyone, but it is healing the world."

"What do mean, healing the world?" Sora asked.

"Just wait and see," said The Doctor, "And prepare to be amazed. It's coming back."

"It's going to be fantastic!" said a happily smiling Alice.

Everyone watched as the rainbow shockwave rapidly approached their location, and at the same time the entire planet began to shake violently.

"What's happening!" Sora shouted, but all further communication was impossible due to the loud roar of the approaching sonic rainboom.

The rainbow shockwave closed in on itself and when it reached its starting point, it exploded with a flask of white light that didn't harm Sora and the others.

When the white light eventually faded, our heroes looked around and saw that nothing had changed. But something was different.

"The broken Kingdom Hearts moon," said Kairi, "it's gone!"

"Look!" shouted Tess as she pointed up, "stars!"

Sora and the others looked up and saw that not only was the broken moon gone, but also a sky full of stars, "but there aren't any stars in the realm of darkness," said Riku.

"That's because we're not in the realm of darkness anymore," said The Doctor.

"Exactly what do you know, Doctor?" Harry asked.

"Oh, a bit of this, a bit of that," said The Doctor, "and that the talisman has dragged the planet out of the realm of darkness and into the light."

"WHAT!" exclaimed everyone.

"You'd better start explaining things, Doctor," said Amy.

"I'd be my pleasure, Pond," said the Doctor, "you see, this world, The World That Never Was, _was _in fact Zumakalis of old. The war between light and dark brought about the talisman, which the side of light used as a final resort, but they lacked the one thing they needed to use it safely were seven pure hearts, so when the talisman was used, it wound up doing the exact opposite of what it was supposed to do. It cast the world and its people into the realm of darkness."

"And now we've brought the world back into the light," said Nessie, "not bad, not bad at all."

"But what about the Kingdom Hearts moon?" Riku asked, "is it still in the realm of darkness? Or did it get healed as well?"

"You want to go back to the realms of light to check on it?" Aiden asked.

"No thank you," said Riku, "i've had just enough of darkness for the time being."

"Well, we still did alright," said Sora.

"I'll say," said Falkon as he, Hektor and Tylek walked up.

"You're alive!" exclaimed Katarina, "and your skin isn't gray and cracking!"

"Amazing thing," said Tylek, "we held on with everything we had, wanting to see how things turned out."

"And are we glad we did," said Hektor, "not only did that rainbow magic save our lives, but it also rest our life forces. We've got at least another 100 years to live."

"And we'll live them to the fullest," said Falkon, "wherever our people wind out."

"That's right," said Tess, "you guys are going away now."

"We could," said Reddik, "or, we could stay right here."

"Now that this world isn't in the dark anymore," said Rakel, "it's actually kinda nice."

"Your eyes," said Kairi, "they're still blind."

"They are?" Rakel asked, "hmm, well, you can't have everything."

"So you Hakonians will be staying?" Sora asked.

"No, not Hakonian," said Nikolai, "if we're to start anew, we need to cast off the shackles of the past."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," said Reddik, "yes, we are starting over. Our past was one of darkness, but now that we walk in the light, my people will need a new name. And I know exactly what we will be. This world was once a civilization dedicated to light. While it may be impossible to restore that light to its former glory, we'll do our best to make things as bright as we can, so form this day forth, I, Reddik Nightshade… no…not Nightshade…Brightstar, yes, Reddik Brightstar, declare that we are Hakonians no more, but The Zumakali."

"The Zumakali," said Rakel, "yes, I like it."

"It's got style," said Katarina, "and I guess we'll all need to change our family names now."

"We'll worry about it later," said Nikolai, "right now we have work to do, repairing the damage done in the battle. The city has suffered greatly, but there is no mess that can't be cleaned up."

Just then several individuals walked towards our heroes, which Sora recognized, "Leon! Yuffie! Areith! Cid!"

"They're alright," said Kairi.

"And so are Seifer and his crew," said Hayner in a disappointed tone as he recognized a second group approaching them.

"Can't have everything," sighed Pence.

"At least Vivi is okay," said Olette.

"That too," said Hayner, "but our ships are totaled. How are we all gonna get home?"

"Uh, hello?" The Doctor said, "time machine that's bigger on the inside here!"

"And we've got portals as well," said The King, 'we can get everyone home whenever they're ready to go."

"You mind waiting until we've stopped feeling like we've just run a marathon through the mountains?" Miley asked.

"We'll wait as long as you need to," said Jake as he walked over and embraced Miley, while Jacob hugged Nessie, Will hugged Lyra, Mamoru hugged Usagi, Ranma hugged Sara, Teddy hugged Victoire and Violet was embraced by her family

Just then the whole area was lit by a bright light coming from the east. Everyone looked and saw the sun rising over Zumakalis for the first time in ages.

"Would you look at that," said Sora as he and the others gazed at the sunrise in wonder, "isn't that something."

**The end of chapter 12.**

Hold on, everyone, it's not over yet!


	13. Ending and Epilog

**Ending and Epilog**

We see Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess and the others shaking hands with all the different groups of heroes. We also see the seven princesses embracing and swearing a pledge of eternal friendship.

King Mickey then raised the Star Shard and opened several portals. We see Usagi shaking hands with Sora, Riku, Roxas and Aiden, then hugging Kairi, Tess and Naminé. Usagi, Ami, Rei, Mako, Mina, Haruka, Michru, Hotaru, Setsuna and Mamoru then went through the portal to the alternate Tokyo and it closed up after it.

We then see Violet saying goodbye to our heroes, then she went through the portal to Metroville with her family and fellow supers.

We then see Miley saying goodbye to our heroes, while Adam, Shampoo and the other Neon Knights and Akane saying goodbye to Ranma. Miley, her protectors, Lilly, Oliver, Jackson, Robbie Ray and Jake then went through the portal to Malibu and it closed up after them.

We then see Sara, Lance, Nate, Denise, David and Ranma saying goodbye to Sora and the others. They then went through the portal to Dream Valley, which closed up after them.

We then see Victoire, Teddy and the other wizards say goodbye to our heroes, as well as the meta humans and BPRD agents said their farewells, with Sora receiving well wishes from both Harry and Max. With that they went through the portal to Hogwarts.

We then see Lyra and Pan say goodbye to Sora and his group, while Will and Kirjava said goodbye to Hayner, Pence, Olette and Nessie. We then see Will and Lyra looking at each other with longing in their eyes, yet they knew that they both must return to their respective parallel worlds. They embraced, not wanting to ever let go, while Pan and Kirjava touched paws. Then they broke apart. Lyra and Pan went through one portal to their parallel London, while Will and Kirjava went through the portal to their parallel London.

Deciding not to drag things out any further, Scott and Ramona went through a portal the alternate Toronto, which closed up after them.

Finally, we see Nessie and her friends and family say goodbye to Sora and our heroes. We're finally introduced to the human forms of Jacob's pack, whom had finally phased back when Maleficent as well as the last remnant of Gideon were destroyed, but no one had noticed in all the confusion of the battle.

We see Sora shaking hands with Edward and Jacob, while Kairi chatted with Bella, Hayner, Pence and Olette talked with Jasper and Alice, while Riku, Aiden and Tess talked with Emmet and Rosalie.

Nessie then hugged all our heroes and with that she, Jacob, her friends and family, went through the portal back to Forks, which closed up after them.

We then see Sora shaking hands with Reddik, whom had all the remaining Hakonians, now Zumakali, standing behind them. Reddik then lead his people to the battle scared city to begin rebuilding. Reddik and Rakel then paused momentarily to turn around to wave farewell to Pete, whom waved back.

Then we see Aiden saying goodbye to Amy, Rory and The Doctor. Said time traveler spoke something to Aiden, whom nodded in understanding. The Doctor and his companions then waived goodbye to Sora and the others and they entered The TARIDS, closed the door and the time machine vanished, off to who know where and when in history.

With that Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Roxas, Naminé, Donald, Goofy, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Vivi, Seifer, Rai, Fuu, Aqua, Leon, Areith, Yuffie, Cid, Young Watari, Pete and King Mickey walk through the last portal, one that lead back to The Old Mansion on Twilight Town, where they were met by Ansem, Scrooge McDuck and Professor von Drake

We see Seifer and his crew acknowledging Sora, Hayner and the others, then the three bullies turned reluctant heroes headed back to town.

King Mickey then summoned a few more portals, one to Radiant Garden which Leon, Yuffie, Areith and Cid went through. King Mickey looked at Sora, Hayner and the others, whom realized that while the enemy had been defeated, there was still work to be done.

We see our heroes walk through a portal to Traverse Town. They reached the Third District, where the vault still lay open. Sora placed The Talisman inside the vault. The door to the vault closed and our heroes used the thirteen keys to lock it. The vault then sank back into the ground, the top of the vault blending in with the pavement, giving the appearance of it never being there.

Sora and the others then went on one last journey across the worlds, each time seeing them meet with the local heroes.

First we see our heroes on The Land of Dragons, meeting with Mulan, Shang and Mush. Sora handed the key found on that world to Mulan, whom nodded in acceptance as she took the key.

We then see our heroes onboard _The Black Pearl _as Hayner handed the key found on Port Royal to Captain Jack Sparrow, whom nodded as he took the key. We see our heroes leave by portal as Jack took the wheel of his ship, glancing at his magic compass before taking a swig of rum.

We switch to the other Tokyo, where Usagi and her friends were heading towards the Crown Arcade to check out the new Sailor V game. At her side were Luna and Artemis, whom had been on vacation the whole time.

We see our heroes handing the key found on Olympus Coliseum to Hercules, whom nodded and walked over to Phil, Meg and Pegasus. Hercules then picked up a huge tree trunk and threw it towards the horizon. Cerberus then chased after the tree trunk, caught it in his middle head and happily brought it back to Hercules.

We then see our heroes on Halloween Town, in their local getup, as Pence handed the key on that world to Jack Skellington, whom took it and walked over to Sally, The Mayor and Dr. Finkelstein.

We switch over to Hogwarts where the graduating class is receiving certificates of accomplishment from the school staff. Victoire graduated at the top of her class with full honors, much to the cheer of her friends and vastly extended family. She saw Teddy cheering the loudest. Outside, we see Fawks carrying the sword of Godric Gryffindor back into the sun and vanished.

At the same time, a Learjet landed in a private airport in America. Max and his fellow Meta Humans. They exited the plane, only to stop on the tarmac to see a woman in her mid 30's with long black hair, hazel eyes, wearing a blue shirt and jeans with black boots, and an irate expression on her face. This was Jill Carpenter, formerly Sparrow, and wife to Andrew. And she was looking very cross at being left out of such an fantastic adventure.

Max and the other meta humans looked at Andrew with nervous and sympathetic eyes, while Andrew just looked nervous. But then Jill ran up, tackled Andrew and peppered him with kisses. At that the other meta humans sighed with relief.

We see our heroes arrive on the beach at Atlantica, having passing through the stabilized time warp and arriving in the future. They gave the key found on that world to Melody, whom happily nodded and ran back to Ariel and Eric, while out in the ocean, Sebastian, Flounder and King Triton looked on approvingly.

We then see our heroes on Deep Jungle, where Olette handed the key found on that world to Tarzan, whom nodded in agreement and grabbed a vine and swung off into the jungle.

We switch to Metrovile, where Violet, as Shielda, stood atop a skyscraper, looking down at the city in a protective manner, while her family and fellow supers stood atop different buildings throughout the city, keeping watch for evildoers.

We then flash over to Zumakalis, where Reddik and his people were making progress towards rebuilding the city. We see the Zumakali using their abilities to repair buildings and construct new ones.

We then see Rakel and Nikolai talking to Cid and Areith on the beach, while a large Highwind gummy ship had locked two tractor beams on the wrecks of _The Intrepid Heart _and _Voyaging Light_.

We see Miley, as Hannah, step onto a stage to the sound of thousands of cheering and applauding fans. She glanced to the left where her friends, family and protectors, including Jake, were also cheering her on.

We then see our heroes on the beach of Neverland, where Sora handed the key found there to Peter Pan, whom nodded in agreement. He then took flight, cruising over the forest, while Tinker Bell and her fellow fairies spiraled around him.

We then see our heroes in Wonderland, outside The Hedge Maze, talking with The White Rabbit, while nearby The Queen of Hearts was berating several card soldiers with brushes of red paint in their hands, whom had been painting the white roses. The White Rabbit looked around nervously, then reluctantly took the key found on that world and hid it in his pocket.

We switch to Dream Valley, where Sara, her fellow Stand users and Ranma, stood outside Paradise Estates as they looked at the Little Ponies enjoying the day. Sara held locket containing The Rainbow of Light in her hand, taking comfort that such an incredible power was not only there but safe as well.

We then see our heroes at Beast's Castle. We see Kairi hand the key found on that world to Belle, whom nodded in agreement, while atop the castle, Beast stood, looking down in an approving manner.

We then see our heroes in The Market Place of Agrabah. Pence handed the key found on that world to Aladdin and Jasmine, whom nodded in agreement, while nearby The Peddler chased after Abu and Iago, the later laboriously flapped his wings as he carried golden cup studded with jewels in his claws.

In the parallel London where all humans have daemons, Lyra ad Pan walked through the streets of her city, the Alethiometer in her hands, while in the daemon-less London, Will and Kirjava walked the same street. The two of them approached the botanical garden and sat down at the same bench. They both sensed that the other was close despite being so far away.

We then shift to Radiant Garden, where Leon, Yuffie and the Gullwings watched as Cid, several mechanics and Handy Helpers worked on _The Intrepid Heart _and _Voyaging Light _at the space docks.

We then see our heroes arrive at the completely restored Disney Castle, where King Mickey took one of the remaining Keys, while Sora and Hayner held the last two. The three of them nodded in agreement that should the need for The Talisman ever come again, then they knew whom to talk to in order to get the keys back.

We switch to Forks, where Nessie, Jacob, their friends and family, were sitting at home, just enjoying a peaceful moment after so much excitement.

We focus on Yen Sid's tower, where the master wizard and Merlin where working on a large diagram full of symbols and magical formula, the center of which held a drawing of The Cornerstone of Light.

We then see Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Roxas, Naminé, Tess, Donald and Goofy saying goodbye to Hayner, Pence and Olette. The three from Twilight Town then went to their world via portal.

Sora and his fellow Keyblade Wielders then said their goodbyes to King Mickey, Queen Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pete, the last looking a bit uncomfortable about being in the home of his former enemies, but The King reassured him that it was all water under the bridge, that they're friends again. At that Pete smiled and affectionately punched his former cabin boy in the arm, a little too hard albeit as The King clutched at his arm where a bruise was surely forming.

Just then Pete's family came running in. Pete embraced his children, PJ and Pistol, and rubbed the head of his dog Chainsaw. He then saw his wife, Peg, whom stood there with her hands on her hips and an annoyed look on her face, about to deliver an admonishing speech to her husband.

Pete braced for the worst, but then Peg laughed lovingly and flung her arms around Pete and kissed him passionately. He embraced her and kissed back with equal passion, at which PJ and Pistol looked thoroughly disgusted, as if saying 'get a room!'

Donald and Goofy laughed heartily, but were interrupted as Huey, Dewey and Louie ran up and tackled their uncle, while Goofy's son Max ran in and embraced his father.

Just as Donald was getting up, Daisy ran in and tackled him, peppering his head with kisses.

Our heroes then said their farewells to Aqua, whom had her own journey to finish.

We then see Sora shaking hands with King Mickey and saluting. The King them opened a portal back to Destiny island, which Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Roxas and Naminé walked through, which closed up after them.

We shift back to Radiant Garden, where Ansem sat at the computer in his study, while Cid, Areith, Leon and Yuffie stood behind him, waiting. Ansem pressed the desired buttons on the computer, while Tron ran the desired programs.

A pair of holographic projectors behind the humans activated, and Sidney appeared, looking none the worse for were. She looked around, saw the humans and smiled brightly.

Areith then looked at the doorway and gasped in shock, her hands flying to her mouth. There at the doorway stood Cloud and Tifa.

On the beach at Destiny Island, we see Sora, Riku, Kairi, Tess, Roxas and Naminé saying one last goodbye to a very dear friend. Aiden stood there, hugging his friends. But now that he had fulfilled his mission, he was free to go home.

He and the others then summoned their Keyblades, brought them together and summoned a portal back to The State. Aiden started to walk into it, but then he stopped, turned around and ran back to his friends, tears falling from his eyes as he embraced them one last time. Sora and the others also cried, knowing that they might never see their friend again.

But finally it was time for him to depart. He walked up to the portal, took several bracing breaths, pressed his wrists and walked into the portal, which closed up after him.

Sora and the others stood there on the sands, shedding a few more tears for their friend, before finally going home with the sun setting.

**THE END**

* * *

><p><strong>…Destiny Island…Two Weeks Later…<strong>

Sora sat on the trunk of the paopu tree, gazing off into the horizon, his thoughts drifting far off towards other worlds.

He was so lost in his inner mind that he didn't notice Kairi walking up the pier, onto the smaller island and sitting on the tree next to him, "I figured I'd find you out here," she said, startling him out of his mental fugue. Sora nearly fell off the tree and into the water below, but Kairi caught him.

"Nice catch," said Riku as he and Tess walked onto the smaller island, while Kairi helped Sora regain his balance.

"So this is the famous paopu tree," said Tess.

"Yep, that's it," said Sora, "they say that if two friends share a fruit, they become bonded forever."

"That's interesting," said Tess as she eyed a particularly large star-shaped fruit piece that was ripe for the picking, "but what about four people? Or should I say six?"

"I don't think Roxas and Naminé are in the mood to eat right now," said Kairi, "they've been asleep inside me and Sora for several days now and won't wake up for even longer."

"They've earned it," said Sora, while Tess carefully climbed up the papou tree and plucked the fruit from the branches.

"And we've earned it too," said Riku as Tess brought the fruit down. "But I think that if you and Kairi eat it, Sora, then Roxas and Naminé will have their share as well."

"I think you're right," said Sora.

"One big fruit to bind us together in friendship," said Tess, "not that we need it, but still," she pulled out her razor to cut it.

"How long are you going to hold onto that thing?" Kairi asked.

"For as long as I find a need for it," said Tess. She then prepared to cut the fruit into four pieces, but then, as if on a whim, cut it into five pieces, "four for us, one for a friend whom isn't here."

"Aiden," said Sora as Tess passed the fruit pieces around, while he held Aiden's piece, "I don't think I'll ever stop missing him."

"We never will," said Riku, "he's been with us for so many adventures, it's as if we've lost a part of ourselves when he went home."

"But he is home," said Kairi, "he's fulfilled his mission and now he's back with his friends and fellow Alchemists," she paused in thought, "I wonder if Ed and Al ever found that Philosopher's Stone and fixed themselves?"

"I guess we'll never know," said Sora.

"Or you could just ask me," said Aiden as he walked up to Sora and the others.

They looked at him with dumbfounded expressions on their faces for several seconds.

"What?" Aiden asked in a concerned tone, "is something wrong? Did I accidentally transmute my body when I opened that portal?"

"Oh shut up and get over here!" exclaimed Kairi as she, Sora, Riku and Tess ran over and embraced their friend, as he hugged back.

"Glad to know that I'm still loved," said a grinning Aiden.

"But what are you doing here, Aiden?" Sora asked, "I thought you were done with being a hero."

"I am done," said Aiden, "done with being too bullheaded, done with blindly following destiny and not thinking for myself with my heart. I finished my mission and went home, the laws of Equivalent Exchange have been obeyed, so now I'm living for myself, making my own decisions. Now I choose to be with you guys."

"But what about your friends in The State?" Riku asked, "Kayle and Travis? And what about Linda Areas and Robert Taros and Ed and Al?"

"Kayle and Travis are fine," said Aiden, "and so are Linda and Robert, and Roy Mustang, he's a Brigadier now, and Armstrong's been prompted to. But Ed and Al…that's…hard to explain."

"Try us," said Kairi.

"Well," said Aiden, "it turns out that a bunch of Homunculai have been manipulating things on my world for years. They've been behind countless deaths and atrocities committed by State Alchemists and other military organizations. Even our leader, Fürher Bradley, he was a Homunculus all along."

"I don't believe it," said a dumbfounded Sora, "he seemed like a nice guy to me."

"He fooled everyone in the world," said Aiden, "and that's not the worst of it. All the plots and schemes, all the evil instigated by the homunculi and wicked men, it was all caused by one insane alchemist with an insane desire for immortality. If that bitch, Dante, was so desperate to live forever, she should have had a vampire bite her, if there are vampires on my world."

"This is incredible," said Riku.

"It's even more incredible how Ed and Al stopped Dante and the homunculi," said Aiden, "but then…Ed disappeared and Al…he got his body back."

"He's no longer a soul in a suit of armor?" Sora asked.

"He's flesh and blood again," said Aiden, "he's exactly the same as he was the night when he and Ed tried to bring back their mother, in both body and mind. He has no idea what's happened since."

"He lost his memory," said Kairi, "and his brother, that's terrible."

"I know," said Aiden, "but he's cool with having forgotten everything. And he's determined to find a way to bring Ed home, and I wish him well. For a bit I was tempted to stay and help him, but there's something else that's draw my focus…you guys."

"Glad to know that we're still appreciated," said Tess, while Sora handed the extra slice of paopu fruit to Aiden, whom took it.

"Here's to friendship," said Riku, "wherever we go, no matter what we do, we'll always be linked at heart."

"At heart," said Sora, Kairi, Tess and Aiden. With that they bit into the fruit. They chewed, and then the five of them winced at a sudden bitter taste on their tongues. Reluctantly they swallowed.

"Its sweet at first," said Kairi, "then it's like horseradish."

"How can anyone think this thing is magical?" Aiden asked.

"I've had worse," said Tess, "on Metamore."

"I'll bet," said Sora.

"I think it's too ripe," said Kairi as she sniffed the rest of her piece, "maybe we should have picked a smaller piece."

"Or maybe it's just too bitter period," said Sora.

"Maybe," said Kairi as she and the others tossed what was left of their fruit into the sea for the fish to enjoy, "so, now what?"

"Now we get ready," said Riku, "for The Mark of Mastery."

"That's the other reason why I came back," said Aiden as they walked back to the larger island, "Xehanort is still out there somewhere, and Maleficent still has three lives left. We may have won the battle and save all the worlds, but I'm afraid the worst is yet to come."

"I'm afraid you're right," said Kairi, "so we'd better start training."

"And you know what training means?" Sora asked.

"I'll give Nodoka-sensei a call," said Riku, "she's going to want to get in on this," he looked at Tess, "you'll like Nodoka-sensei, and I'm sure she'll like you as a friend and a student."

"I've never really had a teacher," said Tess, "just me and my dad, who's not really my dad."

"What?" Aiden asked.

"Long story," said Tess, "let's just say that I've got my own journey to go on soon to find out who I really am."

"I can't believe it!' exclaimed Kairi, "I completely forgot!" she then pulled out from her pocket the letter Ramona gave her to give to Tess, "this is for you."

"For me?" Tess asked as Kairi gave her the letter. She looked at it from different angles before breaking the wax seal, which glowed slightly at her touch. She opened it and took out a piece of cream colored parchment that was penned in blue ink and read the letter.

"What's it say?" Riku asked.

Tess was speechless as she read, then reread the letter, a look of confusion on her face. She then folded the letter and placed it in her pocket, "nothing," she said, "it's nothing important. What is important is getting ready for The Mark of Mastery."

Sora, Riku, Kairi and Aiden knew that if they tried to push Tess into answering, they wouldn't get one, so they let it go, for now.

"And before I forget," said Tess to Aiden, "what was it that The Doctor said to you before he left?"

"Just a bid of advice," said Aiden, "to keep my eyes and ears open; you never know when you'll run into adventure, or when it will run into you."

"Good advice," said Sora. He then glanced up at the sky, knot sure what the future would hold for him and his friends. But one thing was for certain; come what may, he and his friends would face it together, for they had something that the darkness could never defeat; the power to open the door to light.

* * *

><p><em>Just hold on, everyone, there's still the Secret Ending to see.<em>


	14. Secret Ending

**Secret Ending**

**….Somewhere in Time and Space…**

Maleficent's pet raven flew over the trees of a seemingly endless forest under a heavily overcast sky. While Sora and the others were battling Chernabog, they failed to notice a mass of dark energy that resembled a small dragon crawling away from the battlefield. Nearly exhausted, the dark mass came across a fragment of the green orb from Maleficent's staff that had gone off on a random trajectory when Tess smashed it.

The dark mass touched the green fragment and was absorbed into it, the fragment taking on a dark purple aura that pulsed with pure malice. The raven then swooped down from the skies, grabbed the fragment with his claws and took flight, keeping low to avoid attention and exited the realm of darkness via a Dark Corridor.

It arrived over the overcast forest and had been flying for days, being the pet of sorceress, he could keep flying for days more without need of food, water or rest.

But then the raven found what he had been looking for, a small clearing in the trees. He dove down to the clearing, seeing an outcropping of rock with a cave opening. It flew into the cave, his eyes enhanced by dark magic to be able to see in the gloomy murkiness.

It flew on for what seemed like miles before coming to a large chamber. Almost immediately the stone cavern was illuminated by green torches, revealing several items; a large stone throne; a tall stone table that was carved with symbols of dark magic, a pedestal that held a single black book protected by a magical barrier, and a sarcophagus also carved with symbols of dark magic.

_"Well done, my pet,"_ said the disembodied voice of Maleficent that resonated from the glowing fragment, _"everything is as it should be, almost that is."_

Just then a new stone pedestal appeared, atop which was the protomass that held the offspring of Xorat and Kiraxi, _"now the keys to my return and ultimate triumph are in place,"_ said Maleficent.

The raven then placed the placed the fragment into the sarcophagus, _"yet I will need time to recover, my pet, time to regain my lost strength. Though I am weakened, though I have used another of my resurrections, I am far from defeated. Gideon and Chernabog thought they could have their way with me, but it is I whom shall prove stronger._

_"Chernabog unknowingly fused Gideon's knowledge into my mind when he forced the remains of his power into my body. Now Gideon's secrets to his dark science are mine, and I shall use them to my advantage. But not today._

_"Soon, though, my pet, soon I shall be restored. In time I will be strong enough to seek out a temporary body, from which I will set out to create a completely new body, one stronger than before. My power shall be greater than ever, and pity the fools whom dare to stand in my way!"_ The stone lid of the sarcophagus slid close and sealed itself with dark magic, while the raven sat on the edge of the sarcophagus and closed his eyes, entering an enchanted sleep, waiting for the day his mistress would wake up.

* * *

><p><strong>…Disney Castle…<strong>

"And you're sure of this?" King Mickey asked as he, Ansem, Young Watari and Aqua sat in the castle Library.

"I wish it were otherwise, my friend," said Ansem, "But the evidence is undeniable. Castle Oblivion has vanished."

"How can that be?" Aqua asked, "that world used to be my home, before Xehanort ruined everything. Then Organization XIII set up shop there, but the castle was still where it should be. So what happened? Where is it?"

"I would tell you if I could," said Ansem, "but all that is known is that when investigated to see if the castle could be entered, the entire construct was gone."

"There's nothing there except for a big hole in the ground," said Young Watari as he threw a manila folder onto the desk, spilling out several photos of a grassy field with a path leading to a large empty pit that went down several stories.

"It's as if someone scooped it out of the ground and took it elsewhere," said Young Watari, "either with a tractor beam from a starship or with dark magic, because nothing else could have removed that large a building, foundations and all, without leaving so much as a splinter or a grain of dust."

"But who could have done that?" King Mickey asked, "Maleficent's gone, Gideon's gone, Chernabog's been sent back to wherever he came from, who's left? Hades is still stuck in The Underworld, and Ursula and her sister are still in Atlantica."

"Then who or what is responsible?" Young Watari asked.

"Who do you think is responsible?" Aqua asked in an annoyed tone.

"Xehanort," said Ansem, "my former appetence whom was more than he seemed."

"It's only a matter of time before that evil, evil man carries out whatever evil plan he's been working on," said Young Watari, "and whatever it is, it won't be pleasant."

"Then there is little time to waste," said Ansem. "We had better find it if we are to restore Ven's heart."

"In the meantine," said King Mickey, "I'll get Sora and the others started on their training. As soon as they're ready, they'll take the Mark of Mastery."

"And I'll help," said Aqua, "anything that I can do to help Sora and his friends become Keyblade Masters that much sooner, and help find Ven's body so we can restore his heart."

"A Mark of Mastery exam," said Young Watari, "I never thought I'd live to see one."

"And this time," said Aqua, "all our friends will come home."

* * *

><p><strong>…Somewhere Else in Time and Space…<strong>

Xehanort stood on a balcony on the tallest tower in Castle Oblivion, looking out over the new world he had moved the castle to. The castle now sat atop a mountain in the middle of a large range that stretched from horizon to horizon.

"A definite improvement from the last place this castle was at," said Dio Brando as he walked out onto the balcony, "I never did like greenery."

"I didn't choose this location for the view," said Xehanort, "this world is remote, virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding star systems. Sora and his friends and allies could spend a thousand years searching for us and they wouldn't come close."

"Indeed," said Dio Brando, "one would almost never find this place, unless they already knew it was there. And how many know of it, besides us that is."

"At the moment, the three of us," said Xehanort, "you, me and Sephiroth, and hopefully when he returns with Davros and his Daleks, there will be a fourth member to our conclave."

Just then a teleportation gate opened and Sephiroth walked through, looking slightly annoyed, while his clothes appeared slightly burned.

"Well?" Xehanort asked, "what happened."

"I had a long, deeply philosophical discussion with Davros," said Sephiroth, "and to summarize, he said no to your offer."

"He rejected my offer?" Xehanort asked, "the most brilliant scientific mind in the history of the universe, and he refused to join us?"

"He said that he had other plans," said Sephiroth, "that he and his Daleks were destined to be the supreme power in not only his universe, but all universes. Davros then told me flat out that he would be most appreciative that we stay out of his way, then his Daleks 'escorted' me out," he indicated his slightly scorched clothes, "One death ray-firing tin can is easily dealt with. Thousands firing at once are a different matter indeed. I can't tell you how close I came to being exterminated."

"Yet I see that you escaped the clutches of the Daleks," said Xehanort, "to return with the bad news," he clasped his hands behind his back, "so be it. We'll just have to do without Davros."

"Even with the tree of us combining our powers," said Dio Brando, "there's still the fact that Sora and his friends and allies are still out there. Just how long can we operate before we're detected?"

"By the time Sora and his friends realize what we're up to," said Xehanort, "it will be far too late for any of them to stop us. But I agree, we will need additional manpower and resources."

"And where shall we find these resources?" Sephiroth asked, "I know of a few contacts whom would be willing to assist us, for a price that is."

"We'll negotiate when the time comes," said Xehanort, "and I have a few potential allies as well. Hades for one. He has yet to realize that with Maleficent in her weakened state, the spell confining him to The Underworld is broken and he is free to spread terror, hate and sorrow across the realms. He shall be the first to be recruited.

"And of course, there's Ursula and her sister, Morgana, both of whom would gladly ally themselves with us, if we can provide them with what they want; Atlantica and the trident of Trident."

"Are you so sure about using these morons?" Dio Brando asked, "they tried to use me and I broke free of their control without any effort at all. And there's the fact that they kept being defeated by Sora and his friends."

"They're still useful to our plans," said Xehanort, "And there will be others, and they will serve our needs. This time, gentlemen, things will be different. This time I will have the power of the X-Blade, and with it, I will unlock the secrets of Kingdom Hearts, and we, shall be the masters of all."

"Yes, we," said Dio Brando, already plotting ways to betray Xehanort.

"Yes," said Sephiroth, whom was also planning his betrayal of Xehanort.

"Soon," said Xehanort, "soon."

**The End of Kingdom Hearts: Beyond The Door To Light**

_And that's it, fellow readers and writers, the end of my 12 volume epic. But fear not, for my forays into the realms of Kingdom Hearts is far from over. Soon I'll start a new story arc. Just how long this series will be or when it'll be ready, I don't know, but I can promise you this, if you thought BTDTL was awesome, you haven't seen anything yet. See you around!_


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